


Think Ink

by Anime_or_scifi



Series: Think Ink [1]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Blow Jobs, Eren is so extra, Eren stomping on gender roles in his 7 inch heels, First Date, Flashbacks, Genital Piercing, Handcuffs, He's the postman of boyfriends bc he delivers, Insecurities for days, Jealousy, Light Angst, Love at First Sight, M/M, Nightmares, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pining, Rating will go up, Sex Toys, Smut, Vague Mentions of Past Abuse, feminine! Eren, levi constantly being Boyfriend of the Year™, levi is so weak for eren, makeout sessions, makeup artist! Eren, mild mentions of past violence (like really mild), punk! levi, sorta - Freeform, tattoo artist! Levi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-08
Updated: 2017-11-03
Packaged: 2018-11-29 07:24:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 28
Words: 101,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11435982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anime_or_scifi/pseuds/Anime_or_scifi
Summary: Levi, an extremely popular and well respected tattoo artist, wasn't concerned with impressing people. He was apathetic, grouchy, blunt and focused solely on getting through work so he could go home and try to sleep. But something changed that. That thing came into his life in platform heels, dripping (fake) jewels, makeup bordering drag, and every color of the rainbow and then some. That thing came in the form of an equally talented artist, named Eren.





	1. Neo Traditional

**Author's Note:**

> I'm happy to announce that this is my first fic that'll be consistently updated! Every Friday my dudes! I've got 19 chapters already written, so I have no excuse to be late. (The title is a little play on words. Think pink to think ink ayyy I'm not clever)
> 
> I am so excited for this fic, you have no clue. Now, I know I've used some of these themes before. The femme Eren, the punk Levi, the opposites attract trope, I know I've beat the basics to death. But you can take these overused dynamics from me when you pry them from my cold, dead hands. This fic is so self indulgent for me. I'm also trying to gently swerve away from the pastel! Eren trope. It's just that... I don't really like pastels. But I'm all for Eren being unapologetically feminine.
> 
> ALSO: I made an entire tumblr account dedicated to the things Eren from this fic would wear/have. Sometimes I just mindlessly scroll through that blog because everything on it is so pretty. The url is extraeren in case you want a more clear image of Eren's aesthetic. (Particularly the kind of makeup he wears)
> 
> Enjoy!!!

Mondays weren't exactly the busiest at Levi's job. In all honesty, he'd rather take that day off if he had no clients coming in. However, their scheduling didn't work like that, and so there he was, trudging himself through the shop door, groaning at the annoyingly loud bell that rang overhead. He rubbed his face with his hand in an attempt to fend off his exhaustion, but it was to no avail. He barely noticed the bespectacled shop manager flipping through a magazine on the front desk as he passed them.

"Hey Levi," Hanji greeted, not looking up from the glossy pages. 

"Hey," he grumbled, in no mood for conversation. 

"Did you have a cigarette since last night?" They asked, flicking their gaze to him as he reached the end of the wall and stepped through the open doorway.

"No," he spat bitterly. He walked into the vast room and halted to rub at his face once more. He turned to the shelving area next to the entry way and started searching the shelves.

"Yay," Hanji sang in a mocking, celebratory voice as they stood from their seat, robotically clapping their hands lightly. They followed Levi into the room and stopped at the shelves as he did and reached for a large jar at the very top, pulling it down. "Good for you, it'll be five months in a few days." They reached for the top shelf once more and grabbed a flat, golden, plastic star and dropped it into the glass jar with the others. "That's two months longer than the last time you tried to quit."

Levi found the packet of matches he was looking for and glared at his friend. "The jar of stars is a stupid idea. This is a tattoo shop, not a kindergarten classroom. And I don't need something so childish to help me quit."

"You see, it's not a stupid idea," Hanji corrected him, pushing up their glasses. "Aside from the calendar I keep and the dissipating wrinkles around your mouth, this is progress you can see. Once you hit a thousand days I'm gonna leave it on your station as a reminder of your success!"

"That is not going on my station."

"You hear that, Levi?" Hanji asked, giving the jar a subtle shake.

Levi only stared back with furrowed brows.

"I said do you hear that?" They gave another shake.

Another blank stare.

"That's the sound of triumph, my dear friend. Imagine all that triumph you'll be hearing when it's a thousand little stars in there."

"The sound of triumph will be the silence that takes the place of my hacking," Levi mumbled, turning on his heel and taking a match out of the packet.

"That's the spirit- ah ah ah! What's that for?" Hanji asked, pointing accusingly at his match.

"Relax, I just need something in my teeth." Levi wedged to match into the corner of his mouth. "You know, to fill the void?"

"Would it help if I bought you lollipops?" 

"Tch," Levi scoffed, going to sit down at his station. He noticed everything he needed for tattooing already out and ready. "Why am I set up?"

"You have an appointment coming in any minute," Hanji answered, crossing their arms. "Also, Petra's not coming in today. So, you need to take all walk-ins."

"Christ," Levi griped, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Why's she not coming in?"

"What's the matter? Don't like having work? Don't like getting paid?" Hanji teased. 

Levi shot them an annoyed scowl. "I have no cigarettes, I slept like shit and I'm the only one here taking clients. I'm not in the mood for people."

"I'll make you some coffee... take care of one of those things." Hanji stalked off into the front room again to start a pot for Levi. 

Muttering to himself, Levi swiveled in his chair to check his appointment book to get out the proper stencils.

 

~

 

The bell jingled and Hanji looked up from their tattoo magazine to see a girl with short, black hair, a red scarf, black tank top and jeans walk in, looking almost lost. Greeting the stranger with a friendly smile, they chimed "Welcome to Colossal Tattoo Shop, what can I do for ya?"

The girl stood up to the front desk. "I have an appointment with Levi?" 

Hanji took out their copy of Levi's appointment book and flipped through the pages. "... Mikasa?"

"That's me," the girl answered, offering a small smile. 

"Perfect, Levi's right through that walk way." They pointed to the opposite end of the room.

"Thank you." Mikasa nodded and walked off to where Hanji had directed them. She peaked her head in to find Levi arranging things on his station.

Noticing movement, Levi looked over to her. "Come on back," he called, pulling black latex gloves out of a box and tugging them on.

Mikasa walked up to his station, taking in all the artwork and album covers on the walls as she went. She stopped just short of the chair, waiting for further instructions. Levi nodded to the chair and she took the hint to sit down. 

"So... a peacock," Levi stated, gently picking up a piece of stencil paper with an outline of a peacock in blue. "Don't mind the little dotted lines, I just have those laid out to show where the extra details will be. Does that look good to you?"

Mikasa inspected the outline closely, searching for any flaws, but observing the overall image. "... It's perfect." 

"Good. You said you want this on your bicep?" Levi asked with a raised brow.

Mikasa nodded, holding out her left arm for him to briefly line it up. As he checked the placement, she stared at the match between his teeth with confusion and a bit of distaste. She observed him discreetly, eyeing his black v-neck, ripped black jeans and who would've guessed, black combat boots. 'I wonder what his favorite color is,' Mikasa thought amusedly. It didn't surprise her one bit, given his occupation, that nearly all of his exposed skin was covered in tattoos and piercings. His tattoos covered him from his arms over to his chest and wrapped around his neck completely. She wasn't one to judge, she had her fair share of ink as well. But she wasn't the type to get piercings and Levi seemed to be quite a fan of them, having one on his eyebrow, two on each end of his bottom lip, a septum ring and rings cluttered his ears to the point that they chimed if his so much as looked in a different direction. 

"Alright, that'll fit." Levi put the stencil down and got to work, cleaning Mikasa's arm. "This is kind of a big piece, how long have you sat before?"

Mikasa eyed her other arm that was covered in a full sleeve, pondering over her answer. "Two and a half hours was the longest, I think."

"Oh, then this shouldn't be a problem." Levi moved on, grabbing a disposable razor to shave the area he'd be tattooing. He did every bit of the process that was required, cleaning the skin an umpteen amount of times, carefully placing the stencil, letting Mikasa look in the mirror before she gave it the seal of approval. Afterwards, he got down to business, sliding the metal drawers of his desk open to fish out the bottles of ink. As he did this, Mikasa's eyes wandered to the clutter of stickers that covered the black metal of the drawers. She frowned at the ridiculous sayings among the band logos, finding them absurd or inappropriate. She eyed one with a picture of children with sleeve tattoos and a note underneath saying 'Got kids? You leave 'em, I'll sleeve 'em.' She scoffed at the one saying 'Tattoos are for scumbags and sluts.' She flat out grimaced at one near the top that read 'This looks like a good place to masturbate.'

"Don't you think those signs are bad for business?" She asked while Levi poured blue ink into a cap.

Levi followed her gaze vaguely, then got back to work. "Don't you think you shouldn't be rude to the guy who's about to permanently mark your skin?" He deadpanned. 

Mikasa huffed a sigh, figuring he was right.

"This is a tattoo shop, did you expect fine décor?" Levi stepped on his pedal, sending his tattoo machine into a buzzing fit, dipping it into ink. 

Mikasa kept quiet as he began the tattoo.

 

~

 

About a half hour into the tattoo, Levi decided that the buzzing of the tattoo machine wasn't enough to fill the silence. Mikasa had already pulled out her phone, but didn't look to be overly invested in it. So, what could a little conversation hurt? "So, why did you choose a peacock?"

"It's a tribute piece for my brother," Mikasa replied, scrolling through some random website on her phone.

"He like peacocks?" Levi asked, shading in the eye of the bird.

"Well... He likes them, yeah. I like them too. I'm not really getting it because he likes them or anything like that, it's more like the peacock represents him because he's a colorful, beautiful person. Inside and out. You'll see what I mean when you see him. He's coming soon to check out the progress."

Levi hummed in acknowledgement. It wasn't rare for family and friends to accompany or check on his clients. "You must really love your brother then."

"I do, he's my best friend." 

Levi nodded. He also had a tattoo dedicated to a sibling of his, and he understood her reasoning. 

They kept at it for what felt like forever. Mikasa sat surprisingly well, having been under a persistent needle, having to breathe in the fumes of the excessive cleaning supplies and having a grump be the only person to accompany her the whole time. An hour had passed before anything really happened besides ink being etched into Mikasa's skin.

The door bell was just loud enough to be heard all the way into the other room, which annoyed Levi to no end. He vaguely heard Hanji speaking with whoever had entered, but payed them no mind. "I just need to do the highlights and we'll be finished."

"Mn." Mikasa kept scrolling on her phone. 

The sound of clicking heels came when Levi took a break from tattooing to switch out colors. 

"Hey, Eren," Mikasa greeted her brother.

'Guess that's him,' Levi thought, too wrapped up in cleaning off the needle to look up.

"Hi!" Eren beamed, stopping just before her and Levi.

Levi swiveled back to start tattooing again, barely glancing in Eren's direction, but involuntarily did a double take, not prepared to see the man standing before him. Luckily Mikasa hadn't been looking, for if she had been, she would've seen the match drop out of Levi's teeth. He gazed up at the stranger clothed in a magenta cardigan that flowed down over his rainbow colored crop top that exposed a toned stomach, leading down to a pink miniskirt that clung to his hips. Levi's gaze traveled down those long, smooth legs and 'Oh, be still my heart,' Levi had to mentally remind himself. The clicking sound came from five inch turquoise heels that opened to reveal painted toenails. Levi dragged his gaze back up to see the glossed lips with pink fading out from the center that curled into a blinding smile. The layers of jewelry that hung on his beautiful, dark skin didn't match the gleam of his eyes that creased in the corners as he smiled down at Levi. Had he been less of a man, he would've admitted right then and there that 'Dream Weaver' almost started playing in his head the second he saw Eren. In short, it had been a long time since he found himself this captivated by anything. Or anyone. 

"Is there a place for me to sit?" Eren asked tentatively, breaking Levi out of his reverie.

"Huh?" Levi asked dumbly. "I mean- yeah, sure. There's a fold up chair over there, you can put it right here." He gestured to the space beside him. 

Levi didn't believe it was possible for that smile to get any bigger. "Thank you!" Eren chirped, turning to retrieve the chair.

Levi watched for a moment as he walked away, raking his eyes up and down his form, appreciating every curve- tattoos. He had a tattoo to finish. Right. He nearly forgot. He busied himself with adding on highlights to the peacock to distract himself from the brunet beauty bringing back the metal chair and setting it next to him. 

Eren sat carefully, making sure his skirt didn't hike up as he settled down. He leaned in to see Levi's work, unknowingly making the artist short of breath. "Oh my god..." he breathed. "That's gorgeous, you're so talented!"

For the first time in years, Levi felt flattered that someone had complimented is work. He was a rather popular artist that many people sought out, dying for a chance to get his art on their bodies, so compliments were nothing new. But god, did this man have a way of getting him worked up. Unfamiliar with the sensation, he decided to play it off and take the modest route. "What, this? Pfft, it's nothing." He shrugged.

Mikasa whipped her gaze to him in confusion, then looked down at the peacock. Levi realized how bad that might've sounded to her a tad too late.

"I can't believe you actually got this for me, Mikasa," Eren said, grinning at his sister. 

Mikasa mirrored his simper. "I can't believe I got it either," she joked.

"Don't like it?" Levi asked. "I can whip out the old belt sander in the back and take it right off for ya if you changed your mind."

Mikasa only rolled her eyes, but Eren couldn't suppress the laugh that bubbled up. Levi had to pause as he prided himself for being the cause of such an angelic noise. God, what was this boy doing to him?

One last speck of color and Levi had finished, wiping down the tattoo to reveal the finished product. "You're all done. No more pain."

Mikasa stood to see her new tattoo in the mirror and was followed by her brother. "Wow," she mumbled. "That's just what I wanted. Thank you." 

Levi stood by Eren, crossing his arms and examining the tattoo through the mirror. "Glad you like it," Levi said. He only barely knew what he was talking about, he was too busy taking note of the height difference him and Eren and calculating how much of his was in his heels. "I'll get your arm wrapped up and Hanji will work out the payment with you up front."

Mikasa took an extra moment to admire the work done on her arm before nodding and following Levi back to his station. Before wrapping anything however, Levi took out his camera to take a photo of his work. And lord, if his heart didn't skip a few beats when the angel in heels jumped to fish out his phone from his purse to take a picture of his art. 

Once Mikasa's arm was secure, she left to pay Hanji what she owed. Eren, much to Levi's surprise, stayed behind, nervously biting his lip and holding his hands behind his back. When he lingered for longer than necessary, Levi spoke up. "Can I help you with something?"

"Um... do you have a card by any chance?" Eren inquired.

Levi couldn't find words, so he nodded furiously, turning to fetch a card from his station. However, he may have accidentally taken a few too many cards in his haste. Eight cards. He took eight cards and shoved them in Eren's direction. "Take," was all he could get out. Realizing that that didn't qualify as a sentence, he attempted to say something more. "You can... have these."

Eren observed him with a raised brow, unsure of why he was acting so strangely, but smiled nonetheless and accepted the cards. "Thanks." He inspected the print briefly, then looked up at Levi in delight. "You do piercings too?"

Levi nodded again, not trusting himself to make words happen. He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, hoping Eren would accept that as a response. 

"Cool..." Eren murmured. "You did wonderful work, thank you." He offered a small wave as he left to accompany his sister. 

"Thanks..." Levi replied lamely, waving back in a daze. 

Levi heard the bell jingle and figured it was safe to join Hanji at the front desk. He walked up to them after the two had left, with his eyes blown wide, hoping Hanji would understand his odd way of communication so he wouldn't have to speak. Fortunately, Hanji smiled knowingly at him as he came up. "When's the wedding?" They teased. 

Levi hung his head in his hands, unable to clear his mind, wondering if he'd been dreaming it all.

"Hey, what happened to your match?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The slogans on Levi's desk are real ones that my usual tattoo artist has and I thought I'd share them with you guys because I love them.
> 
> I live for Levi being an incoherent mess for Eren. This fic for the most part is going to be very lighthearted. But there will be some angst because I'm a sadist with no self control and it's just not one of my fics until there's tragedy and tears. But this will be 99.9999% happy.
> 
> If you're into Levi being a lovesick mess and Eren eating gender roles for breakfast, then this fic is for you. Tune in next week for another dose of ereri goodness. 
> 
> If you liked this, please leave a comment or kudos! I'm sorry for any errors, I don't edit. My tumblrs are dr-s--art, the-witch-daddy, & extraeren. Thank you so much for reading! <3


	2. Stick and Poke

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi's favorite customer returns in style.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got too impatient, so I'm posting chapter two today. I'm still posting on Fridays and sticking with the schedule, I'm just getting the ball rolling because I can't wait for anything.
> 
> Enjoy!

"Levi, you've got an extra appointment today at noon," Hanji reminded him as he came in.

"What's it for?" Levi drawled.

"Ear piercings," Hanji replied. "Did you have a cigarette?"

Levi glowered at the shop manager. "You know, every time you ask me if I've smoked, it just makes me want to smoke."

"Have you?"

"... No."

"Great, another star for the jar," Hanji chirped, standing to retrieve another plastic star.

The door bell chimed and in came Levi's coworker, Petra. "Good morning, Levi," she greeted as she walked to the back.

"Morning," he mumbled back, rubbing his eyes. He followed her to the back, deciding he should probably set up his station as well. There was nothing like hauling yourself to work on a Saturday morning with your schedule completely booked. "I wasn't sure if you'd come in today, you're never here anymore."

Petra shrugged off her jacket, setting up her station. "I got a lot of stuff going on. I make enough money, I can skip a few days."

"Keep it up and I'll fire you," Levi threatened.

"You can't fire me, I'm the co-owner," Petra laughed. "Co as in your partner. Meaning I have as much of a chance at getting fired as you do, smart mouth."

Levi rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever."

As Petra settled in at her station, she began rummaging through her bag. "I picked up a copy of the tattoo magazine we're in! And they didn't censor you in your interview this time, Levi. Do you wanna look through it?"

Levi rolled his neck after getting everything out of his desk. "Not really, I know what I said. I don't gotta reread it."

Petra frowned back at him. "Yeah, well you weren't there when they interviewed me or Hanji. And they wrote a review on the shop, aren't you excited?"

Hanji came skipping through the walkway, rushing to take the magazine from Petra. "Oh goody! I wonder what pictures they used this time!"

"What's the point?" Levi sighed. "If they like our work, it's nothing new. If they don't, fuck 'em."

Petra put a hand on her hip, shaking her head. "You're such a downer. I haven't been in as many magazines as you, but the affect still hasn't warn off. I know we both constantly get praise and criticism, but don't you still care?"

"Why should I? As long as they're not spreading lies, who gives a shit?"

Petra huffed, and looked over the magazine with Hanji, quietly muttering "I give a shit."

Hanji sighed dejectedly. "They always cut my interview short, just cuz I'm the shop manager and not an artist."

Petra patted their shoulder reassuringly. "Don't let it get you down. You play an important role in the shop."

"I guess..." Hanji flicked their gaze up at Levi. "Levi always gets two whole pages to talk, and he doesn't even care. Ungrateful."

"I'd be happy to switch."

 

~

 

Both Levi and Petra were booked the entire day. Since they were such highly regarded and often requested artists, it wasn't rare for them to be booked months if not longer in advance. And today was no exception. 

Levi was warn out by four o'clock. Tattoo after tattoo since the shop doors open and his back was killing him. While his most recent customer had just left, he decided to recline in his chair as he waited for the next appointment.

"Don't tell me you're done for the day, grandpa," Petra teased while tattooing a man's back with her hair pulled up and out of the way and glasses resting on her face for the detailed work.

"No," Levi spat bitterly. 

"Then what's that sour look for?"

"No coffee, no cigarettes, no sleep, and finishing a four hour portrait tattoo on ribs. Do the fuckin' math."

"Ouch," Petra winced. "What do you got next?"

"No clue," Levi grumbled, rubbing his eyes. He stood to walk around the corner to speak with Hanji. "Oi, what's my next appointment?"

Hanji briefly flipped through a planner before answering, "Ear piercings."

"... Any special kind?"

"Nope, just your basic lobe piercings."

Levi turned on his heel, shuffling over to Petra. "I gotta pierce someone's ears next."

"That's not too bad. Not much energy, really quick."

"What I wanna know is who the fuck it is." Levi crossed his arms, contemplating it. "Think about it Petra, we've got back to back appointments for god knows how long. Who would waste an appointment on earrings? And what adult who wants earrings doesn't already have them from childhood?"

"It could be a kid."

Levi narrowed his eyes at her. "My statement still stands. What parent would book an appointment with us for that? They could easily go to the mall to get them done. Fuck, they could even walk in here without an appointment for that."

Petra only shrugged, too invested in the piece she was working on. "I don't think you're in a position to complain."

Levi sighed and waltzed back over to his station and before he could sit in his chair, his next client came striding in. 

Petra was right. He was in absolutely no position to complain.

Levi lost all his breath as the familiar figure came in beaming. Eren, as he recalled, practically floated over to him in a glittering purple shirt and skirt, looking like he would be walking the red carpet later that night. The collar of his shirt came to a point, his sleeves just barely reached his elbows and everything clung to his frame until his skirt splayed out, revealing high heels just like their last meeting. But Levi couldn't look anywhere but at his face which showed skillfully applied makeup that he was certain Eren would look just as magnificent without.

Levi's knees almost buckled.

"Hi! You probably don't remember me," Eren said.

Oh, how he was wrong. In fact, Levi took a substantial amount of time out of each day after he first laid eyes on him to remember him.

"U-um, I do. I tattooed a peacock on your... uh—"

"My sister, Mikasa," Eren finished for him.

"Right. Her." Levi wished he had time to prepare for this, but he wouldn't be ready to make a flawless impression on the angel before him if he had a hundred years at his disposal. "... You can take a seat."

"Oh! Right, of course." Eren delicately sat down, tucking some hair behind his ear. 

'Cute,' Levi mentally noted. "So... um, earrings," he began lamely. "Are these your first piercings?"

"Sorta. I had earrings before when I was younger, but they closed up." 

Levi took out all the supplies he needed are started sanitizing everything after snapping on some latex gloves. "Did you, um... pick out your earrings?"

"Oh, yes, I'm sorry." Eren handed a pair of faux pink diamond earrings that he'd gotten from the front desk and handed them over. "I know this probably isn't the most exciting thing you get to do. But I've been thinking about a lot of things I'd like to get done, and I thought I'd get them all from the best."

Comments like that didn't often stroke Levi's ego, but he'd be lying if he said that coming from Eren, it didn't make him gush. He had a remarkable reputation and he'd been given godlike praises for his talent, which he was numb to, but Eren's little compliment put him on cloud nine. 'You think I'm the best?' He would've said if he hadn't stopped himself from sounding like an amateur.

"Yeah, well... anyone could've done as good as me."

"I don't think so," Eren commented, smirking at him. 

The smallest of smiles appeared on Levi's features and it grew when Eren chuckled at it. Putting tiny locks of hair back, he began cleaning Eren's ear. He didn't want to fall into silence like he did with his other clients, so he tried to flirt or engage in small talk. Whatever would give him a chance.

"So, are you dressed all fancy for a reason? Or do you always look this good?"

Eren chortled, causing Levi's heart to skip a beat. "Thanks, but after this I've got a party to go to. I thought I could finally get my ears pierced for the occasion."

"And you'll take care of these this time around so they don't close up, right?" Levi teased.

Another giggle came from Eren, sending Levi's heart soaring. "Yes, I promise."

Levi couldn't fend off the genuine smile that grew on his lips. He then marked where he would be piercing and checked to see if they were even. While doing so, he had to force himself not to stare at Eren's ethereal visage.

He handed Eren a mirror. "You like the placing?"

Eren quickly examined himself in the mirror before lighting up and nodding. "Yup, that looks great."

Levi brought his piercing gun, taking one last look to make sure everything was in place. 

"I remember this hurting when I was little," Eren laughed.

"You'll be alright." Levi rolled his eyes amusedly. "It's just a little pinch."

"... Will you hold my hand?" Eren whispered.

Levi paused, at a loss of words, watching Eren stare at him so innocently. "Um, I mean... I don't know. I'll need two hands to do this properly and I don't want to mess up your—"

"Oh my god, I was kidding!" Eren laughed again. "Were you actually considering it? You're such a sweetheart!"

Levi had been called many things in his time, but a sweetheart was never one of them. Between that and the way Eren was beaming at him like the sun had him melting. And goddamn it, he had a job to do.

"Stay still," was all Levi could say. He had no idea how to react to such a pure being. Eren piped down, but bit down on his lip to suppress his laughter. Levi pierced his ears with ease, there couldn't have been an easier part of his job. But that didn't help the fact that his lungs weren't cooperating and his heart was going a million miles per second. 

Giving Eren back the mirror, he gave out a sigh, glad that his work was done. And nothing felt better than to see how much Eren loved his work. "They're perfect! Thank you so much!"

Levi nodded awkwardly as he stood. "Glad you like 'em. Uh, I'll be right back. Stay here." After Eren hummed in reply, he strode off to the front room and over to Hanji.

They looked up at him while on the phone and excused themselves. "Hold on, ma'am." They covered the phone. "What is it, Levi?"

"That guy in the heels that looks like an angel," Levi said in a hushed voice.

Hanji snorted a laugh with a raised brow. "What about him?"

"Give him a really good discount. Make him pay almost nothing."

"But I can't do that."

"You can if I say you can."

"But Levi—"

"I'll start smoking again if you make him pay full price."

Hanji glared at him. "You play dirty," they said before returning to their phone call.

Levi smugly walked back to give Eren everything he'd need for aftercare.

"Alright, here's a wash. Use it twice a day. You've had your ears done before, so you probably remember the process. But in case you don't, here's instructions." He handed him a bottle of liquid to clean his earrings and a little card with brief details on aftercare. "And uh, if you ever need help or have questions, you can call. Don't be afraid to come in either."

Eren stood, accepting everything being handed to him. "Trust me, I won't be a stranger," he murmured.

Levi stood silently, watching him walk away. He wished he could've said something more or worked up the courage to invite him back. But even if he could, he feared he'd get rejected. Eren most likely had a million people chasing him.

"Thanks again, Levi. Bye." He waved as he walked out.

All Levi could do was splutter "Bye" back and attempt to wave, positively transfixed.

Eren walked around to the front desk, lightly tapping his new earrings with excitement. He set his purse on the desk to fish out his wallet.

"Oo, those earrings suit you," Hanji commented.

"Thanks. Levi did a fantastic job." Eren smiled, pulling out his money. "Twenty five, right?"

Hanji sighed, trying not to show their agitation. "Ten."

Eren looked up in surprise. "Just ten?

"Yep." Hanji took his cash. "It's a... one day special. Or something like that."

"Oh, I didn't know that," Eren mused delightedly.

Hanji nodded. "Yeah, neither did I," they muttered. "By the way, that's a lovely outfit. Goin' somewhere special?"

"Ah, thank you! But... um, no. I..." Eren lowered his voice and leaned over the desk. "I wore it hoping it would impress Levi. I know, it's probably ridiculous," he admitted bashfully.

Hanji's eyebrows shot up as their interest was piqued. "Did you now?"

Eren nodded with a blush creeping onto his cheeks. He tucked some hair behind one of his ears, now feeling foolish. "Yeah, don't tell him I said that, though."

"Your secret is safe with me," Hanji promised, giddy with the information.

"Thanks. I know it's a long shot. I bet there's plenty of people knocking down his door to get a chance with him and he's so well known, I know I'm not the only one who feels this way. And now that I think of it, he's probably not single. A man like him can get whoever he wants. But... a guy can dream, you know?"

"You never know, luck could be on your side. Besides, I know there's a ton of people out there who have this predetermined idea of how he is, and trust me, the man is the exact opposite of what you'd think."

"What do you mean?"

"Everyone thinks he's so cool and suave and they think he's such a charmer, but really... he's kind of an ass. And he's really moody. Especially without his cigarettes. Which, by the way, he hasn't had a single one in six months. So you can imagine how bad it is."

Eren chuckled. "I don't believe that. I've met him twice and he's so polite and funny and sweet."

"... I mean, if you're sure."

Eren nodded and turned on his heel. "I might be back soon, who knows?"

"If it helps, I think you might have a shot with him."

"Really?" Eren asked excitedly.

"Mhm."

Eren bit his lip as he grinned involuntarily. "Thanks. Have a nice day!"

"You too!" Hanji waved as he left, reclining in their chair. They really hoped he'd be back soon to get Levi out of his mood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's chapter two! I hope you enjoyed it! If you want to check out my other works, Counterclockwise is another one of my fics that's nearing its end. It's not my best fic, but I'm close to finishing it, so I thought I'd mention it.
> 
> If you liked this, please leave a comment or kudos! I'm sorry for any errors, I don't edit. My tumblrs are dr-s--art, the-witch-daddy, and extraeren. Thanks for reading!


	3. Names

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi takes his sister out shopping for her birthday and they have a surprise encounter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Friday! Finally, the day has come! I hate waiting. I would've posted this earlier but ao3 was having some troubles. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Levi always called his mother every week on Saturday, whether he had work or not, just to keep in touch since he lived somewhat far away. She always picked up so quickly, he speculated that she might've been waiting by the phone for his call.

This time was like all the others, they chatted about Levi's work and his mother updated him on her mundane day to day activities. But Levi had an extra bit of news to share with her.

"I don't know if you remember that guy I told you about last month, but he's the one who came in with heels and was absolutely gorgeous."

His mother laughed. "Yes dear, I remember. You wouldn't stop talking about him."

Levi wandered through his expansive kitchen, fishing through the cupboards while he talked. "Yeah, well he came back in the other day to get his ears pierced. And you should've seen him. Mom, he's so beautiful," he raved.

"Did you ask him out?"

"No..."

"Well, why not? Who knows when you'll see him again?"

Levi thought it over, and in all honesty he didn't think he'd seen the last of Eren. "I'm not sure why, but I've got a feeling he'll be coming back. Especially since the earrings he got were technically his only piercings, and you know how some people get addicted real quick. I can only hope he's one of them."

"If you want to go out with him, you better hurry up and ask. People don't wait forever, and it seems like these have only been chance meetings."

"I know, I know," Levi sighed, pulling out a box of pasta to begin cooking. "So, how's Izzy been doing?"

"Today was her last day of school, don't you remember?"

Levi nearly smacked his forehead. "Yeah, I remember."

"And did you forget her birthday is next week? Levi, if you forgot her sixteenth—"

"I didn't, I promise." He couldn't possibly forget that. "I've got her presents all wrapped up and everything. But is there anything specific she wants? Anything you haven't gotten her yet?"

"Well... yes, actually. She wants to see you."

Levi scoffed, turning the stove on to boil water. "I'm coming to see her anyways."

"No, I mean- she wants to spend more time with you, she doesn't just want you to visit. Levi, she misses you so much. All the time."

That broke Levi's heart. He wanted to see his little sister just as much as she wanted to see him, but he had work. "I know, I miss her too... how about this? I've got a few days off work next week, maybe I can reschedule some appointments. I could bring her up to my house for a week and take her places, and do whatever she wants. How about that?"

"Oh, Levi, she'd love that! Do you want me to put her on for you?"

"Yeah, of course." Levi started getting out utensils and ingredients he'd need for his dinner while he waited for his sister.

"Big bro?"

Levi smiled at the nickname laced with excitement. "Hey, Izzy."

"Levi! How are you?"

"I'm alright. Better question, how are you? I heard today was you last day at school. How's that treatin' ya? Passed all your classes with straight A's, I assume?"

"... Uh huh."

Levi snickered into the phone. "Izzy, you don't have to lie. I know school can be a bitch."

"Ha, yeah. My grades weren't the best, but I didn't fail anything!"

"That's good. So, any plans for next week?" 

"It's my birthday next week, Levi. You didn't forget, did you?"

Levi rolled his eyes. His family needed to have more faith in him. "Of course I didn't forget. I was just asking to see if you were doing something special."

"Oh, I don't have anything planned. I was thinking of going to my friends' house, but I'm not sure yet."

"Well, how would you feel about spending the week with me?" 

A shriek came over the speaker and Levi nearly dropped his phone into the boiling water. "Levi, are you serious? I get to stay with you?"

"Yeah, if you want. We can do whatever you want. There's a massive mall here, I've got a pool in the back yard, there might be some events going on at the local park. I have to warn you though, I might not get some days off at the shop, so you'd either have to stay at my place, which shouldn't be too bad, or you can come to the shop and—"

"No way I'm staying at your house!" Isabel interrupted. "I wanna see you tattoo people! And I wanna see Hanji and Petra!"

"Fair enough, but just so you know, you can't be hovering over the clients, it's unprofessional. If that ruins it for you, you know I got the game station and the pool and—"

"I don't care! I wanna see you tattoo!"

Levi chuckled at her enthusiasm. "Fine. Would it be alright to pick you up on Thursday?"

"Yeah, that's fine!"

"Okay, I'll see you then. Put mom back on for me." 

"Okay, love you big bro!"

"Love you too." Levi grinned to himself and poured in his pasta, waiting for his mother's voice to come through. 

"I take it she's going?" His mother teased.

Levi snorted a short laugh. "Yeah, I'm coming to get her on Thursday."

"This'll be really good for her. Levi... you know she idolizes you, right? So, just try to be a good role model while she's there, alright? For me?"

"When have I been a bad example for her?"

"You haven't," his mother assured him. "It's just... she always talks about you to her friends and she's started drawing again because she wants to be just like you. And while I don't want you to change, I just want to make sure you don't do anything of bad taste around her."

"You mean swear?" Levi sighed.

"I don't mind the swearing so much, I was talking about drinking and smoking. Drive safely."

Levi sighed heavily. His mother never seemed to stop worrying. "First, I'm a great driver. Second, you already know I quit smoking a long time ago. It fucking sucks, but I don't plan on starting again. And I'm a responsible adult, I'm not gonna drink around her. Trust me a little bit."

"Alright. Can you blame me for worrying?"

"We're gonna have fun. I'll be a perfect example."

 

~

 

"I'm so excited!" Isabel hadn't shut up since the second she got in Levi's car. "I brought my swimsuit because I remember you got that swimming pool. I brought my camera so I can take pictures the whole time. Oh! And I can't wait to see Hanji and Petra again, I missed them so much. Has the shop changed much? Never mind, I guess I'll find out when I go with you. Can we stop to get food sometime?"

Levi took a deep breath. He'd almost forgotten how excitable she was. "Sure."

"... So, when do I get to go to your shop?"

"When I have to work," Levi snorted. "Don't wanna go there if I don't have to. Now, is there anything specific you want for your birthday? I already got you some things, but I can get you some more stuff."

"Hmm." Isabel thought it over for a moment, kicking her feet and looking out the window. "Makeup."

"Huh? Do you even wear makeup?" Levi would have fixed her with a confused look, but he needed to keep his eyes on the road.

"Not yet! But I want to, all my friends are getting into it and I'm starting to get acne, so I want to cover it up."

"Don't get it just because your friends are."

"No! I really want it!" Isabel begged.

"Fine, fine. How about this, before going to my place, we can go to the mall nearby and we'll stop at the makeup store. But we can look at other places. The whole time you're here, just tell me what you want and I'll get it for you."

"You don't gotta do that, big bro." Isabel secretly hoped he'd insist, but was too polite to just accept it, knowing he had an insane paycheck.

"Yeah, well I'm going to."

"... Anything I want?"

Levi pondered it over. "Within reason."

"Can I get a tattoo?" Isabel asked immediately.

Levi glanced at her incredulously before returning his gaze to the road. "What? No, you're sixteen! Or- going to be."

"You were fourteen when you got your first tattoo!" Isabel shot back, puffing out her cheeks. 

"That's... that's different." Levi tried to think of a way to change the subject, but his sister cut off his train of thought.

"How?"

"Um... I, um... I was a stupid kid. It was a bad decision, learn from my mistakes."

"Come on, Levi!" Isabel whined, throwing her head back. "It doesn't have to be big! Why can't I get one?"

"I already told you, you're only going to be sixteen. The legal age is eighteen."

"Nuh uh! My friend Gabi has one and she said her parents gave written permission so she could get one!"

Levi rolled his eyes. "Then she was either in a different state or did something illegal and lied to you. In this state you have to be eighteen, no younger, with or without permission." 

"Petra and Hanji wouldn't rat us out! You're basically an adult—"

"Basically?"

"You can give me the tattoo! I'll take real good care of it, and I won't tell anyone where I got it, I'll pay you for it. You're like the best tattoo artist ever and all my friends would think it's so cool!"

Levi started to see where all this was coming from. "Izzy, mom would kill me if I brought you back with a tattoo."

"She wouldn't, and you know it."

"You're right, she'd kill you," Levi corrected himself. "What would you even get anyway?"

"My boyfriend's name."

Levi nearly choked. "Wha— your boyfriend— since when the fuck do you have a boyfriend?"

"Since three months ago. I thought I told you about Farlan. Can I get that?"

"Fuck no! Even if I would tattoo something on you, that would be the last thing I'd do. You're young, you've only been dating for three months and you'd regret it years later if not sooner."

"No, I wouldn't. I love him—"

"No, no, no. We're not going down that road. Anyways, it's bad luck to get someone's name tattooed."

"You have my name tattooed," Isabel argued, crossing her arms.

"The name of your spouse, fiancé or whoever you're dating," Levi clarified. 

"... Okay, I can get something else. Something small! I can hide it from mom, it can be anything."

Levi let out a long sigh, changing lanes. "Izzy, I think you just want a tattoo just so you can say you have a tattoo. And that's not a good reason to get one. I'll tell you what. If you don't illegally go and get a tattoo, keep your grades up - but they don't have to be perfect - don't do drugs, get arrested, drink or smoke then on your eighteenth, I'll tattoo anything you want, anywhere you want, for free. Deal?"

Isabel bit her lip, trying to decide. "... Anything I want?"

"No names, unless it's family and no portraits, unless it's mom. And nothing on the face."

"... Deal."

 

~

 

After stopping at the food market, the two found the mall directory and started looking for makeup stores. Levi mostly stared blankly at the map, unfamiliar with any makeup brands or store names.

"That one!" Isabel said, pointing to the dot. "Let's go." She took Levi's hand and started leading him in the right direction.

Levi was practically dragged along as Isabel bolted to the nearest escalator to reach the second floor. He almost tripped over his feet once they hit the moving steps and Isabel wasn't stopping anytime soon.

"You know we have all the time in the world to look?" He called.

Isabel paid him no mind and eventually found the sign she was looking for, bolting straight towards the open doors. "We're here!"

Levi gazed up at the sign as he was finally released. "Sephora?" He mused aloud to himself. "Weird name." He waltzed in and saw that Isabel was already scanning the displays. Shuffling next to her, he vaguely looked at what she was eyeing. "What's that?"

"It's contour powder," Isabel scoffed as if it should've been obvious to him.

"You're just starting out with makeup, do you really need to contour?"

Isabel looked up at him. "I can't get it?"

"No, you can if you want it, but I'm just saying you might not need it."

"My friends will help me learn how to use everything," she said, taking the product.

Levi shrugged. He was telling the truth when he said he'd get her whatever she wanted.

"Can I get this too?" Isabel asked, holding out foundation.

"Izzy, you don't have to ask. Just grab everything you want and I'll buy it."

"But... the stuff in here can get expensive."

"Doesn't matter. Anything for you, I promise it's not even gonna make a dent in my wallet."

Isabel tried not to feel guilty and soon got over it while thinking about all the free things she'd get. "If you're sure."

"Cross my heart," Levi drawled sarcastically. 

He wandered around the store aimlessly, letting his sister look on her own and take her time without him breathing down her shoulder. The store brought back vague memories of when he used to wear heavy eyeliner when he was younger, but everything appeared far too overpriced and high class for the memories to feel nostalgic. 

Levi checked back over his shoulder to make sure Isabel was still in sight and nearly felt his heart leap out of his chest and into oblivion.

Stood by Isabel was none other than Eren, wearing a name tag and seeming to help her pick out different products. Levi couldn't just leave the store and abandon Isabel, but he wasn't prepared to see his new crush. Working his way to the other side of the store, Levi rushed to hide, feeling like an embarrassed teenager all over again.

Eren never failed to look absolutely stunning whenever Levi saw him. Of course he was now in work clothes, consisting of a plain, black dress with a red stripe going down the sleeves, but he still looked radiant, even from the distance that Levi was watching. Levi should have expected that he worked in a place like this, seeing as he always wore such skillfully applied makeup. 

Panicked, Levi caught a glimpse of Eren facing in his direction and he ducked behind a tall rack. He felt so childish, hoping he wouldn't be found. He would've loved to meet Eren any other day, if he had the opportunity to mentally prepare himself beforehand. But today, he wasn't so lucky.

Levi stepped out to check in Eren's position and nearly collided with an employee. 

"I'm sorry, sir! Excuse— Levi?"

Fuck.

"Oh, um... hey," Levi stammered lamely, scratching the back of his head, hoping to whatever higher force was out there that his face wasn't red.

Eren sent him an angelic smile, making his knees go weak. "What are you doing here? Do you need help looking for anything?"

"U-um, no, not really." For a moment, Levi forgot about everything that had happened that day leading up to this moment. "I'm just... uh, I'm here with my little sister, actually."

Eren's smile never faded, though he quirked up an eyebrow in confusion, seeing as Levi was by himself. "...Your sister?"

"Yeah, the redhead over there." Levi pointed vaguely in the other direction. 

"Oh, her! I never would've guessed you two were related."

Levi shrugged. "We're half siblings. It's her birthday soon, so she's spending the week with me and I'm taking her around to do whatever she wants."

"Wow, I wish I had a brother who'd do that for me," Eren chuckled.

God, how Levi loved that sound. He was never one for small talk, but he couldn't just end the conversation there. "So... how are your earrings healing up?" He winced at his own awkwardness.

Eren lit up, feeling the jewelry in question. "They're doing great! I love them so much and everyone's complimenting me on them. You did a beautiful job."

Levi normally would've scoffed. They were just earrings, anyone could do a decent job in their own home after an hour Google search and with the proper tools. But he always took Eren's praises to heart, he couldn't help it. "Thanks, I'm glad you're happy with them."

"Levi, are you sure I can get whatever I want in here?" Isabel whined from directly behind her brother, catching him off guard.

Levi turned around, not ready to end his conversation with Eren yet, even though he wasn't doing so well. "I already told you yes."

"But it's getting to be a lot, should I put some of it back?" Isabel asked, peering at the products she now has in a basket.

"You could take one of everything and I wouldn't care." He turned back to Eren, who was trying to suppress a giggle at the two. "So, do you—"

"Should I get the black eyeliner or the brown?"

"Both," Levi said quickly, turning back again. "As I was saying—"

"Would the brown go good with my eye color? You're the artist, you know what colors work well with each other."

"Would you like my help?" Eren politely stepped in.

"Yeah! Could you?"

"Of course." Eren gladly stepped past Levi to do his job.

Levi didn't think he'd be jealous of his little sister. He knew he shouldn't have been, Eren was merely doing his job. But even though Levi wasn't prepared for their meeting, he wanted all of his attention. 

 

~

 

Levi awkwardly followed Eren and Isabel around while she shopped and silently swiped his card as the two continued talking during checkout. His heart nearly leapt out of his chest as Eren waved with a smile as they left again he was ready to go home and groan into his mattress. 

Isabel led the way to the next store she wanted to visit, which was a generic clothing store and started looking around aimlessly. "... So what was that?"

Levi furrowed his brows at her, shoving his hands in his pockets. "What was what?"

"You were flirting with the Sefora employee. You weren't doing very good, but it was obvious."

"If it was obvious, then why did you interrupt me?" Levi grumbled.

"Someone had to save you from yourself." 

Levi frowned. "I was doing fine. I mean, I might've been caught off guard, but we were getting somewhere in the conversation."

"Yeah, okay," Isabel snorted. "Do you always just flirt with random people?"

"He wasn't random. He's been to the shop a couple times. Had his ears done awhile ago." He left out that he'd somehow fallen in love with the guy between their first meeting and when he had his ears pierced. 

"When are you gonna step up and ask him out?"

Levi shrugged, shuffling behind her as they walked. "I can't just ask him out any time. This is only the third time I've seen him and every time we've met, one of us is at work. I'd need to find a time when we're both free and that's not so easy."

"That's what dates are for, stupid."

Levi rolled his eyes. "You seem to have forgotten that you need to be asked out first in order to go on a date. There's an order to things."

"Whatever. Just ask him out the next time you see him. Easy."

"I don't know when or where that'll be, and I can't just force it to happen." Levi envisioned how it would go. "I have to be smooth, I can't act like a cocky asshole and expect him to say yes. I have to charm him first. You know, or how mom would put it. 'Woo him.'"

"Oh, if you're planning to be smooth, then you're already screwed," Isabel laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love writing Isabel and Levi. Next update will be next Friday!
> 
> If you liked this, please leave a comment or kudos! I'm sorry for any errors, I don't edit. My tumblrs are dr-s--art, the-witch-daddy and extraeren. Thanks for reading!


	4. Japanese Traditional

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi's close ones give him the extra nudge to ask out his crush.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Friday!
> 
> I love writing clumsy Levi, enjoy!

"It doesn't smell like smoke anymore!" Isabel sang as she ran all through Levi's enormous house, her footsteps echoing on the wooden floors.

Levi was left to drag in her suitcase as she was too excited, taking in the space. "Yeah, that tends to happen when you quit smoking." His mother's words about being a good role model repeated in the back of his mind. "Which, uh, you should never start smoking by the way. It's a dirty habit." He kicked the door shut and shuffled in. "You know it could kill you and shit. That's bad for your health. I just started to get my sense of taste back—"

"Levi, you don't gotta lecture me. I won't start," Isabel interrupted as she catapulted herself into Levi's gigantic couch.

"Thank fuck, I was running out of stuff to say," Levi muttered to himself. 

Isabel hoisted herself up and started jumping on the couch, angling her head to examine the expansive space around her. She believed Levi's house could've been a mansion if he'd invest in the marble columns. 

"Oi, don't jump on that. That's what the beds are for," Levi reprimanded her. 

Isabel stuck out her legs to land in a sitting position. "Can I stay in your fancy guest room? Wait, no, can we build a fort out here so I can sleep on the couch? No, no! I wanna switch every other night!"

"Whatever you want kiddo," Levi laughed, ruffling up her hair. "Right now, I'll fix up dinner. What do you want?"

"I want... I don't know what I want," Isabel sighed, falling to lay down on the couch.

"Want me to order out?"

"Yeah!"

"Okay, what do you want me to order?"

"... Uhh..."

"I'll get the menus from the nearby restaurants," Levi chuckled, walking into the kitchen. "While we wait, we can play a video game or something if you want."

"Do you still have Mario Kart?" Isabel perked up.

Levi frowned. "Yeah." He only had that game because it was Isabel's favorite and he only played it when she visited. Good lord, how he despised that game.

 

~

 

"I win again!" Isabel hollered. "How can you be so bad at this? Are you letting me win?"

"You play it more often than I do, you rat," Levi grumbled, shoving his sister, only making her laugh. "You know, the local park is having a concert the day after your birthday. And earlier in the day they're having an art and music festival. Do you wanna go?"

"Yeah! What band is playing?" Isabel asked, starting up another game.

"I don't remember, but I think it'll be fun regardless." Levi relayed that to put off telling her the bad news. "But, um... unfortunately, I don't get your birthday off. My clients can't reschedule their appointments and—"

"You mean I get to spend my birthday at your shop?! You said I can come with you, Levi. You promised I can come! Can I come?"

Levi widened his eyes in surprise. "Uh, yeah. If you want." He knew she wanted to visit his shop, but he didn't think she'd be that excited. "If we get real busy, you might have to sit with Hanji instead of back in the work room, but that shouldn't be often."

"I don't mind. I miss Hanji so much."

Levi couldn't imagine why. "If you're sure. To compensate, I could pierce your ears again if you want."

"Nah, I want a nose ring! Or an eyebrow piercing like you!"

Levi grimaced. "I don't know. I'd need to call up mom and ask for her permission. I don't think she'd be too happy if I brought you back with jewelry in your face."

"Oh, come on! It's not the same as a tattoo!" Isabel whined. "If I get a septum ring, I could flip it up so mom won't see. Or I could get those collarbone piercings and hide them under my shirt—"

"Woah, woah, woah," Levi interrupted, holding out his hand and sealing his loss in the game. "First of all, I'm not doing collarbone piercings on you until you're at least twenty. They're hard to take care of and have a high rejection rate anyways. Second, I'm not piercing your septum if you're just going to have it up all the time. You're not supposed to constantly budge it and if it's always flipped up, the hole will heal upside down and —"

"You never let me have anything cool!" Isabel sped past the finish line and began pouting.

Levi gawked at her. "I'm taking you to a concert, I let you buy anything you wanted yesterday, and I'm letting you stay here for a week. I don't think you have the right to complain."

Isabel sunk into the couch, crossing her arms. "I mean like tattoos or piercings," she mumbled.

"Hey, if you can call mom up and convince her to let you get a piercing, I'll do one for you. Until then, you gotta wait until you're eighteen."

"... Fine."

 

~

 

"Get up, squirt." Levi gently shook his sister's shoulder to wake her up. "We gotta get ready to go to work."

At the mention of work, Isabel shot up with her hair sticking in all directions. "... I gotta brush my teeth!" She jumped out of bed and ran to get to the bathroom.

"Happy birthday!" Levi called after her.

They got ready together, and Levi made sure to make her her favorite breakfast. He wanted to give her the best day he possibly could, seeing as he figured she'd be bored out of her mind sitting around the tattoo shop all day. 

Once at the shop, Isabel nearly ran inside, not bothering to wait for Levi. Levi shook his head, wondering what on earth she found so exciting about the shop.

By the time he got in, Hanji was already lifting Isabel into a hug. 

"Where has the time gone?" Hanji shrieked, spinning her around. "You're so big!"

Levi rolled his eyes and walked past them. "Is my station set up?"

"Sure is," Hanji answered, setting Isabel down. "Did you have any cigarettes since last time I saw you?"

"Unfortunately, no."

Hanji looked down at Isabel. "Is he lying to me?"

"Nope." Isabel shook her head. "His house smells clean now, too."

"Perfect, more stars for the jar." Hanji went into the tattooing room, rubbing their hands together.

Isabel watched their routines of adding plastic stars at the top of the shelf. "Do you add one for every day Levi goes without smoking?"

"Yup!"

"That's a great idea!"

Hanji put a hand on their hip, facing Levi. "See? Isabel likes my ideas."

Levi snorted, settling his things into his work station. "Doesn't mean they're good ideas."

"He's just grouchy," Isabel whispered to Hanji.

"Don't I know it," they mumbled back. "Well, I hear today's your birthday. So, what's the big number?"

"I'm sixteen now," Isabel beamed.

"Sixteen already? Is Levi getting you a car? Seems appropriate for your age, I'd say."

Isabel turned to Levi excitedly. "Levi, am I getting a car?"

"You don't even have a learners permit, why would I get you a car?"

Isabel sighed dejectedly and Hanji set a hand on her shoulder. "I know it's not as cool as a car, but if you come to the front I'll let you pick out any of the shop shirts and sweatshirts you want."

Isabel wouldn't be bored for long.

 

~

 

"And that's a couple of roses I got for my dad," Petra explained, pointing to her shoulder. Once she arrived and had enough time in between clients, Isabel asked to see all her tattoos and she was enthusiastic to agree. "They're starting to get faded, so I'll have them touched up soon."

Isabel stared in wonder, only wanting to have her own tattoos more with each piece of art she studied. 

"Don't get her hooked," Levi said while working on a traditional Japanese koi fish on a woman's leg. "She's already been begging me to tattoo her, I don't need her nagging you too."

Petra laughed softly. "Izzy, you're not of age. Why would you ask knowing that?"

"Because my friend got theirs with their parents' permission. And Levi's an adult, so he could give me permission."

"Sorry, not in this state."

Isabel dropped her voice to a whisper. "If Levi won't, could you do one for me?"

"Nice try," Petra chuckled. "I'd be happy to do one when you're eighteen."

Isabel slumped back in her chair, annoyed that she couldn't convince anyone to give her a tattoo. 

"Sorry to break it to you, but you're gonna have to find a new seat," Petra said. "I've got a client coming in soon and I should probably start setting up."

"Okay," Isabel sighed, getting up to wander around. Just as she got up, Levi had finished with the tattoo he was currently working on. She knew better than to run up and check out a stranger's tattoo, so she waited until she'd left to go up to her brother and ask to see pictures. 

She leaned over his phone, gasping at the image. "Big bro, it's so cool!"

"Thanks." He ruffled her hair, causing her to lean out of the way. "I'm gonna go out and get lunch. Anything specific you want?"

"Can I come with?"

"Nah, I'll be back real quick. What do you want, birthday girl?" 

Levi ended up taking everyone's order and heading out. He couldn't give her a truly fun birthday, since he was stuck at work, but he could bring her some surprises.

 

~

 

Levi went to a fast food restaurant after picking up a birthday cake for Isabel that he'd ordered. By the time their last customer would be out of the shop, they'd have time to kill, and he certainly wasn't going to let her eat a large cake all by herself.

He stared out into space as he stood in line, fishing out the list of everyone's orders so he'd be ready by the time he got to the counter. 

While he reread each item, he couldn't help but get distracted by the blindingly bright colors ahead of him. So, he looked up to see the person who'd dare wear such an obnoxious yellow sweatshirt and a floppy, hot pink skirt. He didn't have to see their face.

He recognized him by his short hair and long legs and he almost couldn't believe they'd actually met by complete accident again. 

He stepped to the side to see if it was actually him and by doing so, the person ahead of him turned after seeing movement after the corner of their eye and took notice of Levi. 

Levi'd been expecting to see Eren, but he wasn't expecting to see him like that.

Eren turned around and Levi had the privilege to see him for the first time, void of all makeup. After recognizing Levi, Eren whipped his head back around, seeming to be embarrassed over something.

Levi couldn't stop himself from asking, "Eren? That you?"

Eren slowly turned around, putting a hand up to shield a portion of his face and smiled brightly, but also hesitantly. "O-oh, hi Levi!"

"Hey," Levi sighed. He was speechless. He'd never gotten the chance to see the man ahead of him with a clean face, and he wasn't even surprised that he was just as breathtaking as usual. He had to be an angel, Levi was convinced.

No amount of cosmetics could hide his gorgeous teal eyes. And underneath everything, Eren had magnificently smooth skin. But he was hiding, or a least trying to hide, a few red spots on his cheek, though Levi didn't mind them. Eren's hand shook, unsure of which flaws he should cover up, but Levi couldn't find a single thing wrong with him. It wasn't fair.

"I'm, uh..." Eren stammered. "Sorry you have to see me like this, I'm not decent. I... just came to pick up food for my sister and me."

What was Levi supposed to say to that? 'Oh, I don't mind. I'd still propose to you right now if that was socially acceptable to do to a stranger.' His knees were still weak, his heart was still pounding and if this was Eren when he was 'sloppy,' then he was certain it was physically impossible for him to look bad. 

"I-I think you look great." Levi had never seen Eren look nervous before, and though he didn't want him feeling self conscious, he couldn't help but internally fawn over how cute he was being.

Eren blushed, giggling sheepishly, but he never put his hand down. "Thanks... you're sweet."

Sweet. Eren thought he was sweet and he never got tired of hearing it. 

"You know, I was considering coming down to the shop today," Eren added.

"Oh? Gonna make an appointment or get something done?"

"Um... I was thinking of looking through the portfolios if that's okay."

"Yeah, definitely. That's more than okay." Levi neglected to mention that he could probably just do that on the shop's website. He'd enjoy it more if Eren stopped by. 

Eren lit up, some of his nervousness ebbing away. "Okay. I guess I'll be there sometime. Are you working today?"

"Yeah, I'm just picking up lunch for everyone. And I just got here from picking up a cake."

Eren furrowed his brows. "Cake?"

"It's my little sister's birthday," Levi clarified. "The girl you met when I last saw you."

"Oh! I remember you mentioning that."

"Yeah..." Levi trailed off as Eren moved up to put in his order and all he could do was watch adoringly. 

Soon, Eren received his meal, and he was on his way, waving goodbye to Levi and promising that he'd see him soon. 

 

~

 

Later in the evening, while Levi and Petra were both without an appointment for around a half hour, they brought out the cake and lit candles for Isabel.

Levi called Isabel out from the work room and as she caught sight of the cake, the three adults starting singing 'Happy Birthday' for her. Well, Levi and Petra sang. Hanji yodeled. 

Isabel blew out the candles and hugged her brother, grateful for the nice surprise. "Is it my favorite flavor?"

"I don't know, is your favorite flavor still strawberry?" Levi asked, hugging her back.

"Thank you so much!"

"Whatcha wish for?" Hanji asked, cutting the cake.

"I can't tell you!" Isabel said as if it was obvious. "It won't come true if I tell anyone."

"Duh, Hanji," Levi said, mimicking his sister's voice. "Everyone knows that." This earned him a shove from Isabel.

After they'd all had at least one piece and spent a considerable amount of time chatting, Levi and Petra went back to set up their stations. 

"Does Isabel know how much you spoil her?" Petra teased, pulling stencils out of her drawer.

"Must not, because she still begs me for tattoos," Levi scoffed. "I don't care if she knows or not."

"Most people would kill for a brother like you. Hell, I'd kill for a brother like you."

"Well, I hate it when people roll their eyes at how much money they make when they clearly have a fortune. And my income isn't short of that, but I don't like keeping it for myself when I know I can use it for people I love, like Isabel or my mom."

"Do you love me Levi?" Petra asked, sticking out her bottom lip in a mock pout.

"Your income is almost the same as mine, don't go asking me for shit."

Petra chuckled to herself. "I'm just messing with ya. But I know Isabel can push your buttons sometimes. But I'm sure you'd do anything for her, right?"

"Yeah." Levi nodded. "I love her."

"Levi!" Isabel shouted, standing in the doorway. "That guy you like is here!"

"I hate you," Levi hissed, sprinting to her and pulling her in the back, out of sight of anyone in the front room. He peaked around the doorway, and as soon as he caught a glimpse of Eren, he dove back to hide.

Eren had changed out of his earlier attire, now wearing heels, as per usual, and a neon green, turtleneck dress with a heart-shaped cutout high on the chest. Of course, now he had makeup on again, which didn't shock Levi. As he always seemed to wear it and he had seemed embarrassed to be seen without it earlier.

Levi grabbed Isabel by the shoulders, whispering to her, "Don't blow this for me and I'll buy you a puppy."

Isabel's eyes widened. "Promise?"

"On my unborn child's life."

"Deal." Isabel gestured the lock and key motion over her mouth and went back to sit with Hanji. 

Petra tiptoed over to Levi, amused at the miniature mental breakdown he was having. "Got a crush there, champ?" She spoke softly, knowing he'd kill her if Eren could hear her.

"You have no idea," Levi groaned, sliding his hands down his face. "I can't let him leave this time. God knows when the next time I'll see him is. I'm so fucked."

"Ask him out."

"I don't know how to do that!" Levi muttered, keeping his voice as low as humanly possible. "I can't fuck it up with him, I just can't."

"What are you so nervous about? Honestly."

"If I say it wrong, he might get creeped out and never want to see me again."

Petra laughed. "Levi, do you hear yourself? I've never seen you so head over heels for anyone, especially somebody you barely know. You sound like a teenager."

Levi ran his hands through his hair, feeling like this was the crisis of his life. "What do I say?"

"Alright, it's not as bad as you think. How about this? Just run by me what you want to say to him and I'll tell you if it's good or not."

"Okay... I still don't know what to say."

"Be honest. Say what's on your mind! Pretend I'm Eren and try to woo me. Ask me out, just say exactly what's going through your head." She even started twirling her hair and stood on her tiptoes, trying to get into the role.

"Say exactly what's going through my head..." Levi repeated.

Petra nodded.

"You're the sexiest thing I've ever seen and I want to marry you."

Petra paused, but still remained patient. "That's... that's a bit much, give it another shot."

"Scratch me with your holographic nails and step on my face while you're in those heels."

"That's what you think when you see him?" Petra questioned. "You know what- that's okay, try again."

"I would literally sell my soul for one day with you—"

"You are moving in the exact opposite direction from where you need to be going in," Petra cut him off. "Be casual, he's just another person."

Levi shook his head. "I don't think he is, that's the problem. He might not even be real. What if he's a god? Like, the god of love or some shit. Or an angel. Yeah. That seems more likely than him being human."

Petra couldn't help but laugh at how lovestruck he was over a stranger. "Regardless, treat him like he's just like you and me, and be polite. Be yourself, be honest, but don't say anything you just said to me. Compliment him, don't worship him. Be nice, not devotional. Smile, don't drool. Respect him, but don't put him on a pedestal. It's easier than you think, trust your big sister Petra."

"I'm older than you."

"Not today, little brother." She stood behind him and started shoving his shoulders, getting him to walk. "Now, get out there and sweep him off his feet! Gently, though! Not with the strength of a thousand disciples!"

Levi stumbled into the front room, regaining his stance just as Eren looked up at him. He awkwardly waved. "... Hey, it's you," he greeted lamely.

Eren sat at a couch with his legs crossed, flipping through Levi's portfolio. "Hey, it's me... that guy you like," he quoted Isabel, laughing a bit.

Levi sent a quick glare at his sister and Hanji, both watching and snickering amongst themselves.

"I'm just teasing, I know how siblings like to embarrass each other," Eren said with that same smile that never failed to take Levi's breath away.

"Oh, y-yeah." Levi scratched the back of his head and he walked over to him. He was grateful that Eren assumed Isabel was only joking. That saved at least some of his dignity. "So..." He peered down at the page he was currently looking at. "Like what you see?" He internally groaned at himself for being unable to think of a better conversation starter. 

"I do, all of your work is magnificent!" Eren praised him. "Is there anything you can't do?"

Levi didn't want to come off as egotistical, but in all honesty, there wasn't much he couldn't do. "I can probably do anything you'll ask for, but I specialize in color portraits."

"Wow," Eren breathed, turning the page. "Have you ever turned down a tattoo?"

Levi decided that since they were engaged in conversation, it wouldn't have been rude to sit beside him, so he did. "Yeah, but not because I couldn't do it, more because I wouldn't do it. I won't tattoo anything racist or homophobic or anything like that. If the person is getting their first tattoo or they've only ever had tiny ones, I won't do massive pieces on painful areas. I don't do names of significant others, that's bad luck. And I won't tattoo anyone underage." After his last sentence, he sent a pointed stare at Isabel.

"You talkin' trash about me over there?" Isabel shouted.

"I might be."

"Fine, I can tell when I'm not wanted," she huffed, taking the remaining cake into the back room.

Levi rolled his eyes. He wished Hanji would follow her back, but being the manager of the shop, they couldn't leave their post. They only watched while eating their cake, like they were watching their favorite soap opera.

"Your sister's funny," Eren giggled.

"Glad you think so," Levi mumbled uncomfortably, still uneasy over how she'd announced Eren's arrival. "So, are you looking to get anything done?"

"Mhm, I've been wanting a tattoo for ages, but I can't settle on what I want. I'm pretty sure of who I want to do it though..." Eren trailed off, flipping another page.

Levi bit his lip, wondering where they should go from there. He looked around in search of a topic and caught Hanji rolling their hand at him as if to say 'Get on with it.'

"Were you thinking of black and grey, or color?" He could hear the smack of Hanji's hand against their forehead.

"Color, definitely."

'Thought so,' Levi agreed in his head. One look at Eren and anyone would know color was his religion.

"I love bright colors... it's just... I don't know if I can get a tattoo with them and have it still look good," he sighed dejectedly. "That's the main reason I've been putting it off."

Levi knitted his brows together. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I've seen some color tattoos on people with darker skin like I have, and the colors don't show up well. The other artists I've checked out say it's hard to make colors look good on dark skin."

That made Levi furious, it always had. "Bullshit. Bright and light colors, and well... all colors look great on dark skin. You just have to know how to saturate it well enough. Anyone who tells you they can't make colors look good on dark skin is just a bad artist and you shouldn't go to them. May I?" Levi took his portfolio from Eren and flipped through the pages in search of a specific photo. "Right there." He pointed to a photo of someone's calf with mountain scenery tattooed on it. "Their skin is darker than yours and there you have bright blues, light blues and white. Don't let people tell you it won't look good."

Eren stared in awe. "You did that?"

"Yup, last year."

"Wow." 

The way Eren never failed to be infinitely impressed by his work fanned his ego like nothing else. "Do you have ideas of what you'd like done?"

"I never really settled on anything, but now that I know I can get something in the colors I want, I can start brainstorming." 

Levi could smell whatever fragrance Eren was wearing, and all of the sudden he couldn't focus on their discussion of tattoos. All he could think about was how smooth Eren's legs would be if he'd let him put in hand on his knee. Or how entrancing his voice was. (A siren. Maybe that's what he was, a siren and not an angel. Could be both too.) Or how fast his heart would break should Eren reject him and how he'd never be able to love again. Maybe that was being a bit dramatic, but that's how he felt in that moment.

He had to smoothly segue onto the subject of going out, because he didn't see things going well if he just asked out of nowhere. And he had to do it soon or he'd lose his nerve.

"Will it be your first tattoo?"

"Yes."

"You know... when you get your first one, it helps to have someone there for moral support. Maybe you could bring your sister or... your significant other." First things first, he had to find out if he was taken. It wouldn't shock him if he was.

Eren chuckled. "Most likely my sister then, I'm single."

Levi thanked the higher forces for being so merciful. "Really? Someone as... good looking as you? Single?"

"Yeah," Eren mumbled bashfully.

"No boyfriend or anything?"

"Nope."

"Hm..." Levi took his shot. "You want one?"

Eren looked at Levi with his eyebrows shot up in surprise. As caught off guard as he looked, he also appeared to be delighted, which Levi took as a good sign. As quickly as Eren portrayed his initial reaction, his expression changed to one of mischief. "I don't know, who did you have in mind?" He teased.

Levi could feel his heart beating faster and faster. Were his chances looking good based on that reaction? "Well, I, uh, I was hoping me?" He did his damnedest to not look as panicked as he felt. He was silently begging to the universe to let him have this.

"Hm." Eren pretended to mull it over in his head, adding onto Levi's anxiety. 

Levi should've known he was only messing with him, but he felt the need to justify his advancement. "I-it's just that, um, for awhile now I've been wanting to ask you. I think you're beautiful-" he repeated Petra's advice in his head and refrained from giving him deity worthy praises "- and you seem like a great person, and I was thinking maybe we could go out sometime... if you want." He felt so pathetic. To hell with all his clients who assumed he was suave by nature. Screw everyone who viewed him as an apathetic asshole with an endless supply of confidence. He was scared, and he really liked Eren. A fatal combination. Was he sweating? He was sweating buckets. He needed another vacation after this.

"I'd love to."

As terrified as Levi was to hear a rejection, he was even more unprepared to hear an acceptance. "... Really?"

Eren nodded, smiling wider than Levi had yet to see and nothing could fulfill him the same way it did to know that he was the cause of such an enchanting image. Eren looked giddy, ecstatic even. "I didn't think you'd ever ask."

"Are you kidding? I didn't think you'd say yes."

"Holy shit, Levi," Hanji interrupted, reminding the other two of their presence. "Even I knew he was gonna say yes."

Levi glowered at them, but couldn't stay mad for long as they made Eren laugh. "Anyways." Levi returned his attention to Eren. "How about we start things off on a date? I know this really good restaurant we could go to."

"That sounds nice. How about I give you my phone number?" 

"O-okay," Levi agreed. 

They exchanged numbers and Levi told Eren a bit about the place he had in mind for their first date. Eren seemed just as eager as Levi felt. After briefly discussing plans, Eren decided that he needed to get going, seeing as he only intended to stop by for a few short minutes. Levi hated that he had to leave, but he wouldn't have wanted him to go under any other circumstances. He said yes. Plans were in the making. The odds were in his favor. Today was the best day of his life. Maybe that was an exaggeration, but he was on cloud nine.

After Eren left, Levi collapsed on the couch.

"Don't pass out lover boy, you got an appointment in eight minutes," Hanji reminded him.

"Reschedule," Levi requested desperately.

"Levi, no."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, things are going somewhere!!!
> 
> If you liked this chapter, please leave a comment or kudos! I don't edit, sorry for any errors. My tumblrs are dr-s--art and the-witch-daddy. And my tumblr that shows off Eren's style from this fic is extraeren. Thank you so much for reading!!! <3


	5. Outline

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi and Eren go on their first date!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy, I've been waiting to upload this chapter!
> 
> Enjoy!

Yes, Levi knew everything he was wearing was black. But somehow, the blacks didn't go together.

A day or two after Isabel went home, it was time for Levi to go on his date with Mr. Perfect. And right now, he was frowning at the mirror while texting Hanji to ask if it was possible for black to not go with black.

He barely dressed up, even when he was supposed to for formal events, he came in whatever was comfortable. His more expensive clothes all had studs and tears on them and were made of flashy materials unfit for important evenings, and he was lacking in classy articles of clothing. The restaurant they were going to was incredibly nice, and while they didn't have a dress code, they wouldn't let you in looking like a ragamuffin. When he went there on his own or with friends, he only wore a dress shirt, a simple tie and a pair of expensive jeans, which was what he was contemplating over now. But he couldn't just wear that, he had to impress Eren this time around. He'd never stressed over what he wore, especially on dates, but he was so desperate to be with Eren. He was convinced he was already in love with him, there was no way he'd show up to the date in messy clothes.

"... I look stupid," he determined, taking off his tie and tossing it somewhere. 

He unbuttoned the first few buttons on his shirt, thinking he'd look more casual. He decided that looked like he was trying too hard, so he buttoned up his shirt all the way to the top. Too formal. 

Rummaging through his closets, he hoped to find anything better. Amongst all the black, he found a dark grey dress shirt with a classy black vest. When did he buy that? Oh right, Hanji made him buy it for an interview. That was a rough day. Well, it was the best he had.

 

~

 

Levi pulled up to the address Eren had given him. He thought Eren's home would've looked more like... Eren. He parked in front of an old apartment building with the paint chipping off the door. He left his car and walked up the front steps, checking his phone to be sure he had the right address. 

Just as he was about to knock, the door creaked open to reveal his date. Levi should've invested in an inhaler, it seemed to be that he'd be losing his breath repeatedly for quite some time. His face turned as red as Eren's attire.

Eren came out dressed in vibrant red velvet from head to toe. He wore a sleeveless top that was held up around his neck and his mid back, leaving the majority of his upper back and shoulders exposed. His top didn't come down far, blessing Levi with the sight a thick sliver of skin before it was cut off by his skirt that ended in a handkerchief cut, reaching midway on his shins. And of course, he had matching heels, red and glittering with faux crystals. Levi raked his eyes back up to see the jewelry he wore that was small and tame compared to his typical choice in accessories. But Eren was just as beautiful as always, wearing extravagant makeup consisting of colorful eyeshadow, sharp contours and deep, red lipstick.

Levi was certain he wouldn't be able to make it through the night.

Eren started feeling self conscious that Levi hadn't said anything and only stared wide eyed at him since he opened the door. "Hello," he finally spoke, smiling sheepishly.

"Oh, h-hi," Levi stammered, breaking out of his trance. 

"I'm not too dressed up for where we're going am I?" Eren asked nervously, tucking some hair behind his ear.

"N-no, definitely not." Levi shook his head hastily. "You... you look..." Perfect? Sexy? Angelic? Sublime? Ethereal? Miraculous? Like a heartbreaker? Like fine art? Like you could spit in my face and I'd thank you for it? All of the above? All of the above. "You look gorgeous," he settled.

A few of Eren's nerves melted away at that, and a more genuine smile came through. He shut the door behind him and started walking. "Thanks, you look pretty handsome yourself."

Levi clutched his chest once Eren walked ahead of him and couldn't see. 'He thinks I'm handsome,' he mentally screamed. 'I can die happy.'

Eren stopped in front of Levi's car, looking around for any other vehicles. Levi, wanting to be a gentleman, went to the passenger side and opened Eren's door for him.

"This is your car?" Eren gawked.

Levi raised a brow, wondering why that was shocking. "... Yeah?"

"Wow," Eren breathed, walking to the passenger side, feeling slightly intimidated as he examined the sleek, black design and the intricate chrome. 

Levi closed his door and got in the drivers seat. He couldn't help but stare at Eren. 'Focus!' He reminded himself. 'You need to focus on driving, not Eren. You can't date him if you don't make it to the restaurant alive.'

"Is this... is this a jaguar?" Eren asked, buckling in, still in awe that he was going to be riding in such a magnificent car. 

"Yeah, I was originally gonna go for one of the newer models, but they look stupid." 

Eren knew Levi was wealthy, but he had no idea he must've been loaded. Was he really that famous amongst tattoo artists? He wanted to touch every bit of the car and see what all the features were but he was afraid that if he breathed on something the wrong way, he'd break it.

Then Eren became anxious again. What if Levi was taking him to a high end restaurant where he'd have to know strict etiquette and be careful about what he ordered? He wasn't sure he was ready for that. "H-hey, Levi? What's this place that we're going to like?"

"It's really nice, they've got some of the best food I've ever tasted there, you'll love it. It's not... too high class? I thought anything fancier than this restaurant would've been going overboard for a first date. But it's very nice, I promise."

Eren blew out a sigh of relief. That's all he needed to hear.

 

~

 

Even with Levi's reassurances, Eren expected to be brought to a high class, members only restaurant and was very grateful that that wasn't the case at all. The place they went to was a bit more expensive, but it was nothing ridiculous.

Levi repeated his earlier actions, opening the door for Eren, trying to impress him with every little thing he did. As they walked to the door, Levi took the opportunity to fall a step or two behind to get a better view of all of Eren. In doing so, he nearly had a heart attack. Every inch of his body was perfect and it was killing him.

Once they were seated, Eren looked at their surroundings, admiring the stone walls and the art work. The place was really astounding. "It's so beautiful in here," Eren commented.

"I mean, it was since you walked in," Levi muttered to himself, hoping he hadn't been heard. He wasn't the best with flirting or pickup lines, but the man did his best. Eren had heard him, releasing the most magnificent laugh that he could never get enough of, so he remained relieved rather than embarrassed. "So, um... have you ever been here before?"

"No, never. I don't think I've even heard of this place before. How long have you been coming here?"

Levi shrugged. "Awhile. I came here years ago for a party my friend Hanji was hosting-" he'd have to remember to thank them later. "And every now and then I'll come back, usually with friends."

"It must be nice to get to do things like this often," Eren commented, more to himself than to Levi, still in awe of his surroundings. "Do you have any recommendations?" He asked, picking up his menu.

"Well, everything is good from my experience. Pick out anything and it'll probably be the best meal you ever had."

The two chatted about random things, finding it difficult to break the ice. They were given their drinks and their orders were taken and still, they struggled to find something less mundane to talk about. 

'Think,' Eren mentally screamed. He wouldn't let Levi slip through his fingers just because he wasn't the best conversationalist. 'Work! Work is something you both do, talk about that. Yeah, that's good.' "So, how long have you been tattooing?"

Levi counted in his head briefly. "About... thirteen years. Around there."

Eren widened his eyes. "Really?"

"Yeah, I started when I was about eighteen."

Eren did the math in his head. That meant he was about thirty one. Six years his senior. "Has it always been what you wanted to do?"

"I guess. I never had a set idea of what I wanted to do, I just knew I wanted to make art for a living. I've been drawing since I was a kid."

Eren smiled, trying to picture a young Levi, doodling on paper. "Cute..." He mumbled without realizing it.

Levi quirked up an eyebrow, chuckling. "You think I'm cute?"

Eren blushed, having been caught. "Y-yeah." There was no use in covering it up. And he did honestly find Levi to be adorable. 

Levi smiled vaguely, having never been called that before. Except maybe once or twice by his mother when he was young. Trying to change the topic to get himself out of the spotlight, he turned his attention to Eren. "What about you? How long have you been working at, uh... that makeup store?" He couldn't recall its name. "You like it there?"

Eren nodded, beaming as he answered. "Yes, I do. I've been working there as a makeup artist for two years now, but I've been doing makeup since my teenage years. The 'futuristic' uniforms aren't the greatest at Sephora, but I like it there. I can look how I want."

"Can you not do that at other places?"

Eren took in a deep breath. "Not exactly... I'd be forced to dial back on how I present myself at most other places. But at Sephora, you're kinda required to pile on makeup," he laughed. "I worked really hard to get that job, mostly so I can, well, look like this."

Levi had job security and he worked under no one. He forgot what it was like to tone down self expression to have an income, but he was glad Eren could be who he was in his place of work. "Do you like being a makeup artist or is there something else you're chasing after? I mean, do you only have this job because you can express yourself?"

Eren shrugged. "Hm... I suppose there are other jobs that would be fun to have, but I love being a makeup artist. You see... I know what I do isn't taken as seriously as illustrators, musicians or anything like that. And I know it might not be as exciting as what you do, but this," he explained, gesturing to his face, "this is my art. This is my medium and I love it probably just as much as you love tattooing."

Levi smiled at that. Eren was certainly a talented artist.

"And getting to do that for other people, maybe if they've had a bad day and want a makeover, or if it's a special event they're going to and they want to feel a different kind of beautiful just for that one time, that's one of the best feelings for me. And I get to do that everyday." Even though Levi looked delighted to listen to him, he shrunk back, realizing Levi probably didn't care about makeup. "You... you probably feel like that about tattooing. Or better. I know what I do isn't as important as what you do."

"Bullshit," Levi scoffed, catching Eren off guard. "I-I mean... I think what you do is just as important. Sometimes, people get tattoos to help with grieving, they do it for celebrations, and most of the time it's a form of expression. I don't think that's any different from what you do."

Eren couldn't help but smile. It was a nice change for someone to readily take his job seriously. But maybe Levi was being too kind. "Well, that may be true, but tattoos are more permanent. Your art is far more respected than mine."

"And that's a damn shame. Just because people don't value something doesn't mean it's worth less." 

They were served their food, being briefly interrupted. Eren was beginning to see this date going somewhere.

 

~

 

"And then, Petra handed him a pack of sandpaper and told him 'Hate it that much, then you can remove it yourself.'" Levi recalled.

Eren was a giggling mess, using his napkin to dab tears away from his eyes so he wouldn't smudge his makeup. Levi felt a bit egotistical sharing his success stories, so instead, he told Eren about incidents when he was being condemned rather than praised for his work. His favorite stories were the ones when he'd give assholes cringeworthy tattoos and made them pay for them. 

"I can't believe you got away with that!"

Levi shrugged. "I mean it serves him right for how he treated Hanji. They get enough of that shit in public, they shouldn't have to deal with it in their place of work."

"Are you ever worried you'll get in trouble?"

"What're they gonna do? Complain to my boss? I'm my boss." 

Eren couldn't stop laughing. He could listen to Levi all night. "I wish I could've been there to see it."

"You have no idea how much I'd give to do that for a living. Tell people to send shitheads my way and I'll send them back with a garbage or embarrassing tattoo."

Eren rested his chin on his hand, shaking his head. "You kill me." He'd only ever seen Levi look nervous or grin awkwardly, but he liked his genuine smile, however faint it was, when he was telling stories. 

Levi smirked at him. This was going much better than he anticipated. "... It's getting late," he mumbled regretfully. 

Eren pouted. "I wanna talk to you more."

"I wanna keep talking to you too."

"... How about we do a lightning round while we drive back?"

Levi raised a brow in amusement. "Lightning round?"

"Yeah, we can ask short questions and give quick answers. You know, yes or no questions or questions that require a story?" He laughed again when Levi remained hesitant. "I'll go first. Do you have any pets?" 

Levi snorted. "No, no pets. You?"

"Not anymore, but when I was a kid I had some beta fish. Your turn."

"I just asked you if you had pets!"

"No, no, you can't reuse my question! Well, you can but it doesn't count."

Levi liked this guy's enthusiasm.

Levi paid for their meal and they left, driving back to Eren's apartment. They kept up with their questions and Levi was thankful Eren had suggested this. He was learning a lot about him.

"Okay, um..." Levi thought over his next question. "Favorite film?"

"The Wizard of Oz."

"It is not." Levi rolled his eyes.

"It is! I love all the colors in it." Levi supposed that made sense. "What's yours?"

"Um... I like the Alien saga I guess."

"With Sigourney Weaver?"

"Mhm."

"Good choice." Eren bit his lip before coming up with his next inquiry. "Okay, I got one. What's the worst thing you got in trouble for by your mom?"

The memory became clear within seconds. God, he hated that memory. "I promised to babysit my little sister one time, but she was like, three and I asked one of my cousins to do it for me, so I could leave to hang out with my friends. And... let's just say that wasn't all I did, and I came home with no shoes, a hickey and I was drenched in alcohol, but to be fair, I didn't even drink anything. My friend tripped and spilled it all over me. She still thinks I drank it, though. And my cousin left before I got back. Last time I checked, I'm still grounded."

Eren couldn't keep in the cackle the bubbled up and after immediately releasing such a jarring noise, he held a hand to his mouth, mortified. Levi couldn't take his eyes off the road for long, but he glanced over surprisedly. Eren tried to cover up by getting back on the subject. "One of these days, you'll have to tell me everything that happened before you got back."

"Oh yeah, you need to be level four boyfriend before you unlock my humiliating teenage years," Levi joked. "You know, I love your laugh."

"Oh, well that makes one of us," Eren said nervously. "Your turn."

"Alright. Since we're on embarrassing memories, what's your worst memory from college?"

Eren had already told him how he'd went to college, studied cosmetology, lived on campus, the whole shebang. "Going at all was my worst memory," he exaggerated. "I can't tell you how many terrible things I went through, and... I don't think I can tell you my absolute worst memory, because you sir, would have to be at least level six boyfriend to unlock that."

"Touché."

"But I can tell you... okay, me and a guy I was... seeing had a bad fight one time, so he literally picked me up and tossed me outside and locked me out. And it was so humiliating to walk to the other dorm hall to get back in my own dorm."

Levi furrowed his brows. "That doesn't sound so bad."

"Oh, right. I forgot to mention I was only in a t-shirt and underwear... and it was snowing."

"Wow, what a dick. What were you even fighting about that was that bad?"

"I don't even remember, but it probably wasn't that important. He was a jerk."

Levi nodded. "I gathered as much."

Eren crossed his legs and looked for a way to abandon the subject. "Okay, my turn. What was your first date like?"

Levi shook his head. "A disaster." He sighed heavily, remembering the night in full detail, like it was yesterday. "I asked this girl out when I was sixteen, I think. I had a huge crush on her. I tried to be cool and take her to a concert in my first car, which was the ugliest hunk of metal anyone has ever seen, but I digress. I thought it was going real well, until she went home with someone else she met at the concert."

Eren winced. "Ouch, sorry I asked."

"Eh, it's alright. I started dating her brother after that."

Eren giggled to himself, amused by Levi's 'happy ending.'

"Okay, your question. You asked about my first date, so what was your first kiss like?"

Eren chuckled again, but it was different from any of his other laughs from that night. He kept his head up, but stared at his hands resting in his lap. "... Bad."

Levi waited for an elaboration, but he never got one. "That's it? Come on, you gotta give me more than that."

"Really bad."

Levi rolled his eyes, smirking. "Because...?"

Eren ran his hand up his arm, trying to get warmth from the friction. "I didn't like it." He tried sounding lighthearted, as if it was a boring story and that's all there was to it, but it came across as evasive. 

"I see, and what level boyfriend do I have to be to unlock that one?"

"One hundred," Eren deadpanned.

Levi dropped it. He didn't want to end the date on a bad note if Eren didn't want to talk about it. "Alright then. Your turn."

Within seconds, Eren opened up to his original, cheery state. "Got any tattoos you regret?"

"Holy shit, do I..."

 

~

 

Levi got out of the car an escorted Eren to the front door and halted on the porch. Eren looked back at him, giving him a sly smile. "You're not coming in with me?"

"No, I should be getting home."

Eren neglected to unlock the door and sauntered over to Levi, draping one arm around his shoulders and resting one hand over his chest. "Sure you don't want to stay awhile?" He purred.

Levi straightened up a bit, he hadn't expected Eren to be so willing on their first date already, not that he thought it was a bad thing. But he couldn't go that far just yet. He couldn't look into the other's eyes, not when he was batting his lashes while those magnificent, teal irises were practically beckoning him to do as asked. 

"U-um... I would love to, I mean I really really would," 'Eren, you have no idea,' he thought. "But I want to take this slow. If it's what you want as well, I'd prefer it if we got to know each other well. I really enjoyed tonight and I liked getting to hear you talk." He didn't know if he should've stopped, but fuck it, he kept going. "I realize even after all that talking I still don't know you well, but I like you and I'd like to have a real relationship with you. But only if that's what you want too."

Eren didn't look disappointed or wary, much to Levi's relief, but rather pleasantly surprised. 

"So, you'd like to do this again sometime soon?" Eren asked. "And become official?"

"Yeah," Levi agreed hastily.

Eren grinned ear to ear. "You really are a sweetheart." He continued before Levi could deny anything. "Let's do that. I had a great time with you tonight."

"I had a great time too."

Eren dropped his arms, leaving Levi disheartened at their absence, but that went away when Eren planted the most gentle kiss on his cheek, then turned to unlock the door. Levi ghosted a hand over his cheek where Eren's lips had been, feeling as if he was floating on air. He just got a kiss from an angel.

"I'll text you." Eren turned just before closing the door once he made it inside, waving. "Bye Levi."

Levi waved back, unable to form words as the door clicked shut. He had to put this up there with one of the best days of his life.

 

~

 

Once in his apartment, Eren leaned against the door, sliding down with a permanent simper etched on his face.

"I can't believe I didn't screw that up," he laughed to himself kicking off his heels and nearly swooning at the fresh memory of Levi's blushing face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And then Levi went home and called Petra to thank her for (literally) pushing him to ask Eren out.
> 
> I want Eren's outfit from this chapter so bad. Sigh.
> 
> If you liked this, please leave a comment or kudos! I'm sorry for errors, I don't edit. My tumblrs are dr-s--art and the-witch-daddy and my tumblr that is based around Eren in this fic is extraeren. Thanks for reading!!! <3


	6. Color Horror

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren tells his coworkers and friends about Levi, and they go on another date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IMPORTANT PLEASE READ: alrighty, so the very beginning may be confusing, just keep reading, it'll clear up and you'll understand what's happening I promise!
> 
> It's finally Friday! I'm always waiting for this day so I can upload another chapter of this, yay! Enjoy!

Eren and his sister watched their mother, Carla, put on her makeup as she was getting ready to leave.

"Where are you guys going?" Mikasa asked.

"It's me and your father's anniversary tonight. We're going out to dinner," Carla explained, putting on her mascara. "We won't be gone for too awful long. You two will be good for your babysitter like always right?"

Mikasa nodded while Eren held on tighter to his purple stuffed teddy bear. "Who's our babysitter?" Eren asked timidly.

Carla chuckled. "It's Dave, he's been your sitter for the last year, we don't really mix up your sitters anymore."

Eren stared down dejectedly. "... Oh."

"Sweetheart, what's wrong? You used to love Dave." Carla packed extra makeup into her purse in case she needed a touch up later in the evening. "He's a very nice man, and he takes very good care of you. Always has. Do you not like Dave?"

Eren shrugged. He really didn't know if he liked him anymore or not, but he made him feel uneasy. He agreed that Dave was nice, but something felt wrong when he'd babysit for them. He couldn't understand why he felt the way he did. "I dunno."

"I like Dave, he brought us cookies last time," Mikasa spoke up.

"Oh, he did?" Carla asked.

Mikasa slapped her hands over her mouth. She wasn't supposed to mention it, they were only allowed so many sweets and every time Dave babysat for them, he snuck in extra goodies on the condition that they wouldn't tell they're parents so he wouldn't get in trouble.

Carla laughed. "Well... you know you shouldn't have more than we set out before we leave. I'll have a chat with him about that. But he's done a better job than your other babysitters, he even cleans the house!"

Eren frowned at his feet, gripping his teddy bear harder in frustration.

"Eren, is there a problem?"

Eren shook his head, still refusing to make eye contact with his mother.

"You know you can tell me if there's something wrong or if you're upset, right? You won't get in trouble for being honest." Carla tilted her son's chin up.

"I won't?"

"No, sweetie, of course not." Carla had no idea why he was acting like this. "Is there something you want to tell me?"

Just then, their father opened the door. "Dear, the cab is here and so is the sitter."

"I'll be out in a minute," Carla said as he left. She brought her attention back to Eren. "I have to go, anything you need to talk about before I do?"

Eren looked at Mikasa who was just as confused as their mother. Then he looked back at Carla who waited expectantly. He huffed out a sigh and shook his head.

"Alright then. Come downstairs with me."

Carla and her husband Grisha said their goodbyes to the children after letting the babysitter in. Carla pulled him aside and asked about giving the children junk food, which he admitted to sheepishly, but she let it slide.

Carla hugged her children one last time. Eren looked over her shoulder at Dave, a freshman in college with glasses and ink black hair that Mikasa always wondered how he styled it so perfectly. He had a relatively good physique and only wore a college sweatshirt and jeans when he babysat and he never came without a duffle bag filled with treats, games and cleaning supplies. He smiled and waved at the two kids when Carla let go of them. Mikasa waved back, but Eren stood still. Although, he'd always been a soft spoken, shy child, so it surprised no one when he stared at people trying to talk to him.

"You two be good," Grisha said, shutting the door.

Just before he could close it all the way, Eren ran after his parents. His mother, being a sucker for his puppy eyes, picked him up.

"Can I come with you?" He whispered in her ear.

Carla laughed and shook her head. "No, sweetie, not tonight. We won't be gone for long, don't worry." She set him down and kissed his head, waving goodbye. "Love you!"

Once they were gone, Dave looked between the two siblings. "Alright, who snitched?"

"I did," Mikasa admitted guiltily.

Dave only chuckled. "That's okay, we just have to be super sneaky from now on."

"So, we still get cookies?" 

"Of course! Hope you don't mind, but it's brownies this time. And they have rainbow sprinkles."

Mikasa felt relieved, having always looked forward to Dave coming strictly because he always brought goodies for them.

Dave kneeled before the two, talking on their level. "How about you go upstairs and get your toys out and I'll bring up the brownies and get some juice for a tea party, okay?" He knew better than to make real tea, they wouldn't drink it.

Mikasa nodded and immediately ran upstairs. 

Dave turned to Eren, smiling. "After the tea party I'm gonna clean up a bit, and then I'll put in your favorite movie. How about that?"

Eren only stared back at him, holding his teddy bear between them. Eren had never spoken to Dave or any of their other sitters, so he wasn't expecting a real answer. 

Dave lowered his voice a bit. "I know Mikasa told your mom about the cookies, but you didn't say anything about our little secret, did you?"

Eren shook his head.

"Good, that's a special secret. Just for you and me. And since you kept it like you promised," he reached into his bag and pulled out a package. "I brought you gummy bears!"

Eren stared at the plastic bag. He didn't think he deserved them. Or maybe he didn't want them, he couldn't tell.

"I know these are your favorite. You want them now?"

Eren shook his head again.

Dave was surprised by that. Eren never turned down candy or whatever else he'd bring. "Alright, if you're sure." He put the candy back in his bag. "Let me know if you change your mind. You can go and help your sister now, I'll be right up with juice."

Eren ran upstairs and into his sister's room where she'd set out toy tea cups on a pink plastic table she shared with Eren. He helped her set up their stuffed animals on little chairs and pulled up bigger ones for the three of them.

Eren pulled his chair closest to Mikasa and set Dave's chair on the other side. Mikasa looked over at her younger brother with a raised brow after seeing how far away he'd placed their sitter's chair. "What's the matter with you? Why don't you like Dave?"

The door creaked open, revealing their baby sitter, carrying two jugs of juice. He looked down at Eren disappointedly, having heard Mikasa.

"What? You don't like me?"

Eren jolted upward with his heart pounding a million beats a minute, drenched in a cold sweat with his alarm clock screeching. He heaved out each breath, still in a panic from his nightmare, staring around his room to remind himself of where and when he was.

"It's just a dream, it's not real," he whispered to himself, running his hands through his hair and over his face, feeling like he'd just ran a marathon. "It's just a dream, it's not real."

Except it was real. The only difference was that in his waking state he knew it couldn't hurt him anymore. He let his alarm clock continue ringing, uncaring if it bothered his neighbors. Most people hated the noise of their alarm clock but he was grateful that it was there to remind him of his safety.

After he mostly regained his breath, he slammed on his alarm clock to shut it off. 

 

~

 

At work, he'd nearly forgotten about his dream. It became routine for him to have them. He busied himself with his work, taking his shift to cash out customers.

Once things had quieted down, one of his coworkers stood by him, sending him a knowing look. "So, Eren," she murmured. "How was the big date you were so excited about?"

Eren smiled to himself, reddening. "It was amazing. Probably one of the best dates I've had. He took me to this really nice restaurant, and you should've seen the place Sasha! I've never been someplace so fancy. And he was a perfect gentleman, and he dressed so nicely, and he was funny—"

"Eren, you and I both know what I was talking about," Sasha interrupted. "How was the sex?"

Eren sent her a look, feigning annoyance. "There was none."

At this, their other coworker tuned into the conversation. "Really? You?"

"Yes, Annie," Eren sighed.

"You went on a date and it didn't end in sex? Must've been a terrible date."

"It was not! It was terrific. And for your information, I don't mind that it didn't end that way. I offered and Levi said he wanted to take things slow. You know, have a real relationship. He's not like the others."

"Oh, come on," Annie scoffed, crossing her arms. "All the guys you go out with are the same. They're a bunch of selfish fuckers with shit jobs who'll take you on the worst dates just to get in your pants."

"Levi's not like that," Eren argued. "He's kind, he respects me and he's successful in his career."

"Oh yeah?" Sasha questioned, leaning on her elbows against the counter. "How successful?"

"Successful enough to afford our date at a nice restaurant and drive a jaguar," he said as a matter of factly. He didn't find that to be the most impressive or important thing about Levi, but it's what his friends were most concerned with. "You know Levi Ackerman?"

Annie's jaw dropped while Sasha stared curiously.

"You are not dating Levi fucking Ackerman," Annie said. "I call absolute bullshit."

"Who's Levi Ackerman?" Sasha asked.

"He's this crazy famous tattoo artist," Annie said. "Eren's just kidding with you."

Eren put a hand on his hip. "I can promise you, I went on a date with him. He came in here a week ago with his sister too."

"And I just happened to not be here?" Annie said. "You honestly expect me to believe this bullshit? Eren, that's farfetched, even for you. You expect me to believe that you went on a date with Levi Ackerman and on top of that, you didn't sleep with him? If you're pulling my leg just to see if I'll buy into it, you're outta luck."

"I'm not lying! Besides, I didn't realize he was that famous. I knew he was good and he's booked a long time in advance, but I didn't think he was so sought after that you wouldn't believe me."

Annie's suspicion was ebbing away at Eren's sincerity. "Alright, alright, let me ask you this then. How did you convince him to go out with you? A guy like him, he's probably got a different somebody to keep him company everyday of the week."

Eren held his head high, proud that he could say, "Levi was the one to ask me out."

"Oh hoh," Sasha sang. "Our little Eren here is quite the little enchanter! And yet, you still didn't get him into bed."

"Why is that so important? We're genuinely interested in each other."

"That's true," Annie started. "But we're talking about you."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Face it Eren, you're kinda..." Annie made a face at him. "You know."

"No, say it." Eren was beginning to get angry.

"Well, when it comes to guys... it's not rare for you to... you can be... you and all your boyfriends... it's very..."

"You're a floozy," Sasha filled in. 

Eren frowned at the both of them. They weren't wrong in the slightest. He had many boyfriends in the far and recent past, the majority of his relationships tending to be short lived. And the ones he didn't consider his boyfriends, he would see once or a handful of times if they were lucky. And while he wasn't proud of it, he didn't want to be judged for it. "Is that a problem?"

"No, it's just that you going this 'slow' is unheard of," Annie laughed.

"But I fully support this!" Sasha said. "Going steady with a celebrity, could be good for you. And consequently us. Think about it, if you marry rich then you can treat us out all the time."

"I'm not gonna use him for his money." 

"Why not?" Annie asked incredulously.

"Because that's shallow! I actually like him, I don't care how much money he makes."

"Mhm, yeah," Annie drawled sarcastically.

"I don't!"

"We won't think less of you," Sasha said.

"That doesn't matter, because I'm telling the truth! I really like him and... he likes me, so his job doesn't make a difference. Stop assuming I'm with him for selfish reasons."

"Okay, we'll back off," Sasha yawned straightening her back. "Really though, I'm happy for you. It's a nice change to have you find a guy worth your time. Glad you had a good date last night."

"Thank you Sasha." Eren let himself calm down. He noticed Annie shaking her head disapprovingly and cocked his brow at her. "What?"

"You need to seal the deal with this guy, god knows when you'll snatch up someone as good as him again."

 

~

 

Their next date was a walk through an art fair at a local park. They both had a love for art and since it was so close by and there was live music and an umpteen amount of food vendors and the weather was perfect, it seemed liked a pretty good idea.

"One of my coworkers said she didn't believe we were going out," Eren said, laughing.

"Oh yeah? Why's that?"

"She said you were too famous."

Levi rolled his eyes amusedly. 

"Are you famous? I hadn't heard your name before Mikasa said you were doing her tattoo. She said it was tough to get an appointment because you were highly requested, but I didn't think you were famous."

"I'm not famous," Levi said. Which was a complete lie, but he didn't feel famous. "I'm just well respected in the tattooing community, but I'm not famous."

"Oh, that's a shame. I was excited that I was dating a celebrity," Eren joked.

"Well... yeah, now that I think of it, I'm kind of a big deal," Levi boasted, trying to sound nonchalant about it.

Of course, Eren found that hilarious. Levi wasn't the bragging type, so his attempt at impressing him came off too unnatural. "I was only kidding. I don't care if you're famous or not." He gave Levi a kiss on the temple and marveled at how quickly he turned red.

Levi didn't know how to respond to that, so he grabbed Eren's hand and tugged him to the nearest display. "Hey, look at this," he said, trying to sound distracted.

Eren chuckled at him, able to see right through him. He pretended to look around to save Levi from his awkwardness.

They walked for awhile, stopping at every few stands to see what they had. Eren had been drawn to a jewelry stand selling handmade glass jewelry of all different colors and shapes and he couldn't bring himself to look at anything else. "Wow, I wish I could get it all," he breathed in awe.

Levi stood by his side, not too interested in the jewelry, but rather his date looking so transfixed at it all. 

Eren picked out a couple pieces and went to the man and his wife who were running the setup to pay. He handed the man his money and looked at him confusedly when he wouldn't take it. "Excuse me, sir—"

"You're Levi Ackerman!" The man gasped. 

Levi drew his lips in a thin line, not wanting to be put under the spotlight, especially while on a date.

"Gale," the man whispered to his wife. "Look who it is!"

"Oh, it's that artist," she noted delightedly. "My husband loves your work! He watches all your interviews on YouTube and just last week he ordered in that magazine you were in."

Levi tried to force a smile, not wanting to be rude. "Oh, how nice." He put his arm around Eren's waist so they'd hopefully get the message that they were on a date and didn't want to be held up.

Eren sent him a smug look and whispered. "Not famous, huh?"

"Are your appointments still booked up?" The man asked urgently.

Levi hated talking business with strangers. Couldn't they tell he was trying to enjoy his day off? "Uh, yeah. But you can still make an appointment. It'll just be awhile. Eren, you were paying for—"

"Can I get a picture with you?"

Levi groaned. He'd do anything if it meant he could leave.

After the woman took their picture, she took Levi aside to whisper to him. "I'm sorry about him, he gets starstruck real easy."

"Ah, that's alright. I'll just be going—"

"Oh, I'm sorry! Is that your boyfriend you were with?" She asked a bit louder this time.

Levi bit his tongue. "Um—"

"Yup!" Eren answered for him.

Levi's heart skipped a beat. "Yeah."

"My bad, sorry to keep you!" She released Levi and he immediately returned to Eren's side after he paid for his jewelry. Levi led him out, hoping to avoid any tacked on questions the man probably had prepared. 

Once they were far enough away, Levi let out a heavy sigh. "So... we're officially boyfriends?"

"Do you want to be?"

"... Yes."

"Then yes." Eren gave him another kiss to the side of his face and it took everything to keep his knees from buckling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHH I don't want to wait another whole week for the next chapter! Also, things about Eren's dream will be cleared up in future chapters, no worries!
> 
> Also, I just posted a (very old) one shot called "Drag Me To Hell and Back," check it out if you're interested! (I'm so sorry it's taking me so long to update Counterclockwise but the next chapter is coming I swear)
> 
> Please leave a comment or kudos if you liked this, that would make my week! I'm sorry for any errors, I don't edit. My tumblrs are dr-s--art, the-witch-daddy and extraeren. Thanks for reading!


	7. New School

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi and Eren discuss making their relationship public and they have a relaxed date at Levi's home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so impatient, I have to upload this now. This chapter is somewhat filler but isn't at the same time? Idk my dudes.
> 
> Enjoy!

"You've been gone on quite a few dates with him now," Petra spoke to Levi as she wiped down her station. "Is it safe to say that things are official?"

"Yeah," Levi replied contentedly. "We're official."

"Nice. Have you told anybody?"

"My mother, Isabel, you just now, Hanji and he's told his friends and family."

"Cool, cool. Are you thinking of letting it out into the public?"

"Why the fuck would I do that?" Levi crossed his arms, leaning against the wall. "The last thing I need to do is have strangers on social media in my business."

Petra shrugged. "I'm just sayin'. If it gets out without being on your terms, there will be rumors, people might get wrong ideas. Imagine how that might make Eren feel."

Levi raised a brow at her. "What do you mean?"

"Well, if you don't confirm or deny your relationship with him if people found out, would he think you're embarrassed about your relationship?"

Levi thought it over. He didn't think Eren would be the type to get upset over that. He saw how annoying strangers could be to him out in public, and they were relentless on the internet and in the media. "He wouldn't think that. At least, I don't think he would."

"I don't mean to assume, I'm just wondering. He's a cutie, you should show him off."

Levi smirked at that. He still couldn't believe he was lucky enough to snag him. And it would be nice to parade him around to show the world that he was all his and vice versa. But the public could be brutal and he wasn't certain if he'd subject Eren to the negative side of the media if he were to share their relationship. 

He'd have time to think about it later. He had a client walk in, so he pushed his thoughts to the back of his mind to focus on work. 

 

~

 

Levi drove Eren to his house for a quiet night together. Eren had yet to see where he lived and was excited to see it.

"You know," Levi began in the drive over. "I was talking with my friend Petra and she suggested I announce our relationship to the public." He tried to sound casual to draw out Eren's honest reaction. "What would you think about that?"

"You mean you haven't yet?" Eren asked curiously.

Levi's heart skipped a beat. Should he have announced it already? "Well, no not yet. I wanted to get your opinion on it first."

"I like that idea. Then I get to brag to everybody about my amazing new boyfriend."

Levi smiled at that. "I'm the one who'd be bragging. But... it's just that people can be assholes. And don't get me wrong, I do want to show you off, but when I make private things public, people feel entitled to all this information and feel like they have the right to my personal life. I don't really give a shit what other people think, but I don't want them to go after you."

"What's the worst they can do?" Eren laughed. "They won't kidnap me, will they?"

Levi chuckled. "They might, but only because they'll want you for themselves. I won't let that happen though." Levi prided himself for drawing out another laugh from Eren. "Nothing too bad will happen. Comments from strangers don't matter, but I know for a lot of people it can be overwhelming. So, I'm letting you make the decision."

Eren sat silently for an extended moment before coming to a conclusion. "I want to tell everyone. I want the whole world to know I snatched up Levi Ackerman."

Levi laughed uncomfortably. "Heh, please don't call me by my full name." He knew he was well known in the tattoo community, there was no doubt about it. But to most people who had no interest in tattoos, they didn't consider him a celebrity. They didn't even know who he was. He thought that's how it was for most 'famous' tattoo artists, so he didn't want to be treated like he was on a pedestal by the majority of the public. Or his boyfriend for that matter.

"Sorry, I just think it's funny that I didn't know the guy I was dating was so popular until my coworker brought it up."

"Don't worry about it. I just don't want to be treated like we're on different levels or something."

Eren smiled at Levi, though he couldn't see it while paying attention to the road. "That's fair."

They pulled into Levi's driveway and after exiting the vehicle, Eren stopped to gawk at the massive building before him. Levi stopped when he noticed his boyfriend wasn't at his side. 

"This is your house?" Eren said.

"... Yeah?"

Eren hesitantly kept walking. "Its enormous."

Levi shrugged. "I guess so." 

Once inside, Eren couldn't help but stare stupidly at everything. The house was spotless and had modern, well designed decor. And while it wasn't a mansion with high tech technology at every corner or chandeliers and marble everywhere, it was very impressive, but surprisingly monochrome. "This is amazing..." Eren breathed.

"Thanks, I, uh... I like things clean," Levi stammered.

"It shows." Eren went around the kitchen, leaning over the countertops and examining the hanging light fixtures. "Wow."

Levi was used to the surprise when he'd bring his boyfriends or girlfriends home for the first time, but the way Eren was so awestruck was absolutely adorable. "Take a seat, I'll get started on dinner."

"You can cook, too?" Eren thought this man was the whole package.

"Well, I'm no iron chef, but I can make some pretty good dishes. Do you have a preference in what I make?"

"Not at all." Eren sat himself at the table, watching Levi get everything started. "So, there has to be some sort of catch with you."

Levi tossed him a confused look. "What do you mean?"

"Well," Eren listed off on his fingers. "You're an artist, a damn good one at that, you can cook, you're a complete gentleman, you're hot as hell, and you have good taste. There has to be something to it, no one is that perfect."

"You left out that I'm awkward, I can't flirt to save my life, I have a perpetual pissed off look on my face, I'm short, I'm getting over my cigarette addiction, and I'm an insomniac. No one's perfect... except maybe you," he muttered the last bit under his breath.

Eren giggled, having heard him. "And you seemed to have left out that you're really sweet too." 

Levi snorted, turning on the stove. "I'm not sweet, I'm just a sucker for you."

"I don't understand why, I don't have much to offer." Eren may have been smiling, but a self conscious tone weaseled it's way into his voice.

"Are you kidding? You're like... a literal fucking angel. It's like you're not even real, it's not fair."

"Like I said, you're too sweet," Eren beamed.

 

~

 

After dinner, Eren and Levi moved to the couch and started talking casually. Levi was still doing his best to not advance too quickly, to be sure he wasn't putting Eren off, but Eren couldn't help but be all over him. 

He draped an arm around Levi's shoulder, leaning into him so closely he was practically sitting on his lap. And Levi couldn't find it in him to complain.

Levi held his hand as still as he could around Eren's waist and held the other on his knee, pretending to be focused on the fabric of Eren's skirt as he was too anxious to function with him so close.

"Having fun, there?" Eren teased, referring to how Levi was messing with the edge of his clothing.

"Sorry," Levi excused himself. "Um..." He couldn't think of a topic to take the attention off him and he feared Eren was onto him. "So... how long have you been dressing this way? Shit- I didn't mean it to come out like that, I'm just curious—"

"It's okay," Eren laughed. "I've been dressing like this my whole life."

Levi raised a brow. "Really?"

"Mhm. Usually people think it's odd, they say it's weird for me to dress 'like a girl,' but it makes me happy. It's a lot more fun for me."

"I don't think it's weird. I love it, it makes you unique."

Eren settled his head onto Levi's shoulder. "Thanks." 

This guy was killing him. Eren was all over him and he didn't know how to handle it. "I know I probably should've asked this when I first asked you out so I wouldn't say the wrong thing, but are you... genderfluid? Or nonbinary?"

"No," Eren answered simply.

"I-I didn't mean to assume—"

"I'm not offended, a lot of people think I am, and that's okay. But that's not it, I just... don't conform to gender stereotypes. I'm a man, but I just like... colorful things. And pretty things."

Levi nodded. "That makes sense. I like how colorful you are, is there any color you don't like?" Eren looked to embody every color of the rainbow to him.

"I don't like pastels, they're boring. Same thing with earth tones, nudes, and black, white and grey. I like all the bright stuff."

Levi snickered, thinking of how he was just the opposite. 

"No offense, I see you like your black, white, and grey," Eren quickly added. "But it looks good on you."

"Thanks. I'm not a fan of color myself, but it works with you. You're like a human rainbow, inside and out."

Eren laughed. "I guess. What about you? How long have you been this edgy?" He joked, jingling some of Levi's earrings.

Levi leaned his head back, trying to place the exact moment. "Like... early high school I think? I dunno, I got my first tattoo when I was fourteen and my mom almost beat my ass for that, but it wasn't much of a deterrent." 

"Fourteen? What was it?"

"Ah, it was a gargoyle on my forearm. I thought I could hide it from my mother, but right after I got it, the artist said I shouldn't wear tight clothes on in or keep it covered for long. And I would rather have my mom mad than have a garbage tattoo or an infection because I didn't know what would happen if I didn't do as he said, so she saw it as soon as I got home and had a heart attack."

Eren chuckled at his misfortune. "Why didn't you just wait until you were legal?"

"I was a dumb kid, I'm impatient, and I was a punk who wanted to 'stick it to the man.' The man being my kind hearted saint of a mother because I didn't know shit. And all that adds up to me getting a tattoo at fourteen."

Levi loved the rumble of Eren's chest every time he'd let out a soft laugh, and the sound that accompanied it was heavenly. 

"And it was a bad tattoo. I've had it touched up like three times. Now it's not as shitty as it used to be."

"Can I see it?" Eren sat up eagerly.

Levi pulled up his sleeve and showed him, loving the look of awe after he saw it.

"I can't imagine this looking bad at some point."

"Well, it's pretty different from how it used to be. Now, it's not the best one I have, but it's alright I guess. When I turned eighteen, I got a portrait of my mom on my left bicep as an apology."

"Oo, can I see that one too?"

Levi smiled at how fascinated he was and leaned forward to take off his jacket, hiking up his shirt sleeve to show him.

Eren's eyes widened to the size of saucers. "That's incredible! It looks like a picture." 

"Thanks, I found a good artist for that one instead of going to the only one in our neighborhood."

Eren raked his eyes down Levi's arm, observing each piece of art. "Aw, you got your sister's name tattooed?"

"Yeah, that one I got when she turned five. She didn't get it at the time, but she thought it was cool." 

"Do you have any tattoos in color?"

"No, just black and grey." Levi didn't think any colored tattoos would suit him.

"What's your favorite one?"

Levi scratched his head, trying to decide. "Dunno. Probably the one for my mom or my sister, or... not sure. Maybe the vulture on my back."

Eren bit his lip, wondering if he was pushing his luck. "... Can I see that one?"

"Uh, yeah. Of course." Levi sat at the edge of the couch and pulled up his shirt just enough to show off the vulture on his mid back. "Got that one a little over a year ago-" he cut his sentence short, feeling Eren gently trace the lines of the tattoo with his finger tips and dragging his nails in their wake.

With his shirt up, Eren could see how every inch of Levi's built form was covered in ink. "I think it's funny how some of the skin is raised where your tattoos are. Do they all do that?"

Levi felt his heart race with Eren's hand on him. "It depends on the tattoo. Some are completely flat."

"You're absolutely covered," Eren mused. "What's that one say?" He asked, pointing to one dipping under Levi's jeans on his side.

"Uh, that one says 'fuck you,'" Levi said lamely. "I was... going through a weird time... and I was drunk."

"I like that one, it's funny," Eren giggled. 

Levi blew out a sigh of relief. He had his subtle worries that maybe his personality was too abrasive or moody for somebody like Eren, but he was getting a kick out of it. "Glad you think so." He pulled down his shirt when Eren finished looking.

"I wish I had some nice tattoos."

"Well, now you know a couple artists personally. So, getting one for a good price shouldn't be too hard," Levi joked.

"I just don't know what to get. I've got a lot of ideas, but I can't settle on anything."

"Well, when you narrow it down, tell me your ideas and maybe Petra and I can help you figure it out."

"Yeah, that would help."

They kept talking about different things, breaking off into a million tangents, but they were comfortable. They started talking as if they'd known each other for years. Levi was glad Eren found him interesting and kept the conversation going, and Eren felt so at ease and happy that Levi talked to him as his equal, caring about what he had to say. It was a refreshing and calming time for the both of them.

 

~

 

Eren was starting to get tired, using all his energy laughing at Levi's stories and smiling uncontrollably and he couldn't remember the last time he felt so comfortable with his significant other. He laid against Levi, with Levi's arm around his shoulders, cradling him. 

They eventually grew silent, reaching a comfortable quietness for the first time. There was no need to fill the air with unnecessary noise. It was nice, to say the least.

After ten minutes of simply enjoying each other's company, Eren had to ask, "Do you know what time it is?"

Levi craned his neck to check the clock. "Ugh, it's past eleven."

"Seriously?" Eren groaned. "I didn't realize it was that late."

"Sorry for keeping you."

"It's alright, I had a great time. It's just that I have work tomorrow."

Levi's face fell. He didn't want Eren to leave.

Eren sat up, stretching out his limbs. He looked over at Levi, finding how dejected he looked. "Don't look so upset. We'll have another night like this. And I wouldn't dream of leaving without giving you a goodnight kiss." He angled himself to face Levi properly and dove in for a lingering kiss, surprising his boyfriend. He wove his arms around Levi's shoulders and stayed there, keeping the kiss soft and sweet.

Levi was in no position to complain, so he wrapped his arms around Eren's waist and melted into him. Everything about him had his pulse racing and his lungs short of breath. He could feel his long, manicured nails lightly digging into his shoulders. His lipstick was probably being transferred onto him, but he didn't care. Eren, the embodiment of perfection, was all he could feel, taste, and touch and he wouldn't want it any other way.

Eren shifted, straddling Levi's lap and adding more movement to their kiss. He nipped at Levi's bottom lip hungrily, asking for entrance and that made Levi realize who was really in control of their kiss. He tightened his hold on his boyfriend, letting his mouth part slightly to allow his tongue to dart in and if he wasn't feeling euphoria before, he definitely was now.

Soon, things got heated. Eren sped up the kiss, letting his hands travel down Levi's back as they went on. He let out soft moans, exploring Levi's mouth and rolling his hips lightly and suggestively. And as much as Levi loved it, that's when he had to stop everything.

He parted from Eren, loosening his grip. "Not now," he murmured, shaking his head.

"Sorry," Eren said breathily, not sounding sorry in the least. "It's hard to hold back from you." He ran his hands through Levi's hair apologetically, and he really needed to stop, because every touch of his was intoxicating to Levi. 

"We'll get to that point, just not tonight," Levi promised.

Eren smiled down at him, resting his forehead on Levi's. "I'm happy to wait if its for you."

Levi couldn't help but grin at that. "Oh, yeah? What makes me so special?"

"You respect me," Eren said in an appreciative tone.

"And what? Your past boyfriends didn't?" Levi joked.

"No." Eren shook his head.

Levi's smile faltered. Eren said it so calmly, like he was accustomed to disrespect. And that didn't sit well with him. "Oh... well, they should've. You deserve respect." He couldn't think of much else to say. 

For some reason, Eren looked delightedly surprised at that. Instead of replying, he gave Levi another, more tame kiss before pulling back with an ecstatic grin. He needed to stop looking at him like that, because Levi had become more infatuated with him the day they met, but now he was hopelessly head over heels and over the moon in love with him. Every little thing made him fall harder.

Eventually, they separated and Levi reluctantly decided to take Eren home for the night. They each knew they'd be in agony once they left each other's presence, so they kept silent to not pollute their remaining minutes together with mindless chatter.

When they got close to Eren's home, he started thinking back to how Levi said he deserved respect and pondered on their decision to take things slow. So, he had to ask, even if it was only to put himself at ease. "Levi? Are you seeing anyone else aside from me?"

"What? No, why would you ask that?"

Eren shrugged. "I was just wondering. I know we're official, but I wasn't sure if we're exclusive."

"Oh, I see." Levi nodded. "Do you want to be?"

Eren scratched his arm nervously. "Only if you want to be, I don't want to be selfish."

Levi smirked to himself as he pulled up in front of Eren's apartment building. "You can be as selfish as you want with me. We're exclusive."

Eren let out a sigh of relief. "Good, because I don't wanna share you."

"The feeling is mutual."

Eren unbuckled his seat belt and leaned over to give Levi one last kiss. "Thanks for tonight, Levi. I had a great time with you."

"Thanks for coming. I'll see you soon?"

"Definitely." Eren gave him a little wave and a bright smile as he left. 

Levi made sure he got into his apartment safely before driving off and oh, how painful it was for him to watch him go. That man was going to be the death of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooooo the next chapter is gonna be wicked cute, brace yourselves. 
> 
> If you liked this, please leave a comment or kudos! My tumblrs are dr-s--art, the-witch-daddy and my tumblr inspired by Eren in this fic is extraeren. I'm sorry for any errors, I don't edit. Thanks for reading!


	8. Neo Japanese

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi and Eren go shopping and Levi goes a tad overboard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IMPORTANT: I think that not many people realized I updated two chapters last Friday, so if you weren't aware, there you go. I could be wrong, I just feel like people may have not gotten the message.
> 
> Enjoy this week's chapter!

Levi laid in bed, holding up his cell phone and holding a pillow up to him while he rested in fetal position. Eren was killing him. He was taking over his whole life.

At work, all he could think to talk about was Eren and whatever they did on their most recent date. He talked about it in such detail that Petra and Hanji (and even some of his clients) might as well have been there. Everyone was getting sick of it.

Every week, when he called his family, Eren was the only topic he'd consider bringing up. Of course, his mother being the saint that she was would hum along and listened to every word he had to share. But even she had better things to do than hear about his "ocean like eyes that shined like the sun," and his "perfect smile, that could heal an injured puppy." So, she handed off the phone to Isabel and Levi would do the exact same thing to her until she fell asleep. But they were happy for him.

They went on dates as often as they could with each of their busy schedules, and Levi would silently gush over his boyfriend. He couldn't help it, he'd been so taken with Eren the first time he saw him, and with every minute that passed with him, he fell more in love with the little things and the new facts he learned about him. Everything he did was perfect in his eyes. Giving a couple dollars to a street performer? How charitable. Lighting up like a Christmas tree every time they passed a dog? Precious. The quiet 'thank you' he'd say when someone held the door open for him? Absolutely adorable. The little click he'd hear from Eren's nails against the screen when he'd type out a text? Music to his ears.

It wasn't fair, how perfect he was. Because now, Levi had all the time in the world to work out, start commissions, finish some paintings, make a big meal, but no. What was he doing? Scrolling through Eren's Instagram and saving all his photos. It seemed that he posted a picture of every makeup look he did and often posted outfits of the days. He was an angel, Levi was positive now. He'd only found his Instagram when he'd been bombarded with messages on all social medias by strangers when Eren posted a picture of Levi kissing his cheek.

All of them were questions and congratulatory messages. He had no idea how to respond to half of them. They'd say "wow, your boyfriend is so beautiful!' or 'he looks so cute!' and he just wouldn't reply because he couldn't think of much else better to say than 'duh, I know.'

It was only two months since they started dating and Levi was ready to give him everything. He didn't think he'd ever find someone who made him so happy and felt the same way. He couldn't imagine ever leaving him. 

Then Levi stopped scrolling for an extra moment. Eren posted a picture of himself entirely free of any cosmetics with a cliche caption, telling people to love themselves and to not be insecure. But Levi didn't care about that, Eren had the most natural beauty and showed it off perfectly. Levi didn't care if he was caked in cosmetics or completely bare. He looked like a god. The picture was from a couple years back, but his features hadn't changed much. All Levi could think was 'he's all mine.' He set down his phone and groaned into his pillow. "He's so pretty," he whispered. He was definitely going to die young, and it was definitely going to be Eren's fault.

 

~

 

"Thank you so much for coming with me, baby!" Eren beamed as Levi parked the car in the mall's parking lot after picking him up when he'd finished work. "I always prefer shopping with someone else, so they can let me know if something looks good or not."

Levi scoffed, getting out of the car. "Oh please, anything will look good as soon as it's on you."

Eren giggled, waiting for Levi to catch up. "You're too nice to me."

"Not true, I'm always honest with you." He took Eren's hands as they walked, interlocking their fingers. The way Eren lit up didn't go unnoticed by him. "What was that?"

"Hm? What was what?"

"You just got excited all of the sudden."

Eren shrugged, looking down at their hands. "I just... I like when you hold my hand and stuff in public."

Levi smirked, quirking his eyebrow up. "Well, that's nothing. Want me to kiss you in public?" He teased, leaning up to peck Eren's cheek, making him laugh.

"Yes," Eren admitted, cheeks going red.

"Ah, I see. You like pda." Levi nodded along as they reached the doors, opening them for Eren and standing out of the way.

"I do," Eren said bashfully as Levi caught up. "I know a lot of other people hate it... so, if you don't like it that's okay," he said, almost deflating.

"Trust me, I have no problem showing you off." Levi took his hand back to weave it around Eren's waist instead of his hand, making the taller man practically gush at the gesture.

They looked around for awhile until Eren found the store he was looking for.

"What do you need in here again?"

"Flat shoes," Eren answered. "I'm pretty used to walking in heels on a daily basis, but every once in awhile my feet get sore at work. It doesn't happen often, but it would just be nice to have something to switch into."

Now that Levi thought of it, he'd only ever seen Eren out of heels once. Maybe having him a little closer to his level would be nice. "What about these ones?" Levi pointed to a glossy black pair. "They look comfortable."

Eren looked at them and then thinned his lips. "They're, uh... not what I'm looking for." He switched his gaze over a brightened up when he found essentially the same show type, only it was glittering red with multicolored rhinestones at the toe. "Perfect!"

"... But those are exactly the same."

"Right, but these ones are pretty," Eren said, sitting down to try them on. "Like the ruby slippers. 'There's no place like home!'" Eren sang.

Levi smiled. It seemed that even Eren's necessities had to adhere to his aesthetic. 

Once they'd finished getting what Eren had come in for, they went through the isles on the way to the cash registers, but Eren couldn't help but look on the way. Levi felt a tug on his hand and realized Eren had stopped. He was looking at one pair of shoes, making contemplative expressions, furrowing his brows and making funny faces at them. He kept trying to take steps forward, but kept going back, eventually having one leg stationary while the other swing back and forth as he tried to make a decision. Levi almost laughed.

"Do you want those?"

Eren kept doing his little dance but never let his eyes leave the pair. "Hmm, yee- I don't know... actually ye- no. Nnnn- I don't know. Mmm..."

"Do you not know if you like them or not?"

"No, I like them. I check them every time I'm here to make sure they still have them, but I don't know. They're a bit on the pricey side and technically I can afford them, but do I really need them?"

"... Want me to get them for you?"

"No, no. I can get them... eventually." Eren have them one last look before finally walking forward again. "I can live without them."

Levi shrugged and started walking, before being stopped again, only this time, Eren seemed more certain. 

"These are gorgeous," Eren mumbled, transfixed on the glittery, rainbow platforms. Then he turned over the box with his size inside, widened his eyes and grabbed Levi's hand, walking away without a word.

"Wait, didn't you like those?"

"Too expensive," Eren whispered as if he'd offend someone if they heard.

"But I could buy them for you."

Eren raised a brow at him. "You don't even know how much they cost."

Levi rolled his eyes. "Fine, how much are they?"

Eren lowered his voice. "Like, fifty dollars."

"... I can get them for you if you want them," Levi chuckled.

"No, I can't ask you to do that."

"You didn't, I offered."

Eren shook his head. "No, that's just too much money. I appreciate it though."

"It's not too much money for me. Come on, it's my treat. I promise I won't be in financial trouble if I buy them for you." Levi kissed his cheek as an incentive to say yes.

Eren then remembered that Levi did own a massive house, a jaguar and happened to be a rather popular tattoo artist. But that didn't make him feel less guilty. "... I don't know."

"What's your size?"

"What?"

"I'm getting them for you either way. So, you might as well try them on and get a pair that fits as opposed to getting a pair that doesn't. Wouldn't be worth it then."

Eren relented. If Levi would buy them anyway, they might as well fit. So, he tried them on and found a pair that fit, but Levi wasn't catching up to him. 

"Might as well get the other ones you were looking at while we're here."

Eren sighed, shaking his head. "No, Levi. You can't buy me both."

"Why not? You want both of them and I want to get you both." Levi headed for the other pair, followed by Eren.

"Levi, that's too much money!"

Levi was already pulling out Eren's size.

"Put those back! I'm serious, you don't have to get them for me!"

Levi leaned up to kiss Eren to silence him. Pulling back with a smile, he added. "The cost is nothing to me. I could buy sixty of them and be fine. Will you let me get them for you, angel?"

Eren's face went red after being called 'angel.' He liked that. But as anxious as it made him, Levi was persistent, so he finally agreed. "... Okay."

At the cash register, Levi paid for the things he was getting first, and Eren watched confusedly. "Why are you doing this for me?"

"Because I want to, is that okay, love?"

Eren felt his face become even hotter with each endearment. "... Yes," he mumbled.

 

~

 

Next, the two went into a boutique, just to look. Meanwhile, Eren was chatting Levi's ear off about novelty makeup, not that Levi minded.

"And then, my sister bought me this lipstick that's basically made out of this gelatin-like material, right? It's clear, but it changes color on the skin. And there's real gold flecks suspended in it and a real flower at the base."

"Sounds like it'd cost a lot," Levi commented.

"It actually didn't! Which surprised me. And then when I went to this makeup artist convention-" Eren cut off his sentence with a gasp, gravitating over to a glass casing.

Levi loved it when he did that. He loved the genuine excitement he portrayed and how he let all his emotions out the second he felt them.

Eren looked down at the case, finding a necklace that was overflowing with metal leaves, birds and flowers, all of which painted in vivid colors and decorated in rhinestones. "It's so beautiful," he breathed. "It reminds me of Alice in Wonderland, oh my gosh, I love it!"

Levi leaned at his side, more so admiring him rather than the jewelry he was ogling. Eren was simple at his core. He just wanted to be happy and really loved pretty things. That wasn't asking too much out of life.

"Excuse me?" Eren called over and employee behind the cases. "How much is this necklace?"

The woman inspected the piece before replying with a smile. "That one is a hundred."

Eren plastered on a grin. "Thank you!"

"No problem. If you need help with anything, let me know!"

Eren nodded at her and as soon as she was out of sight, his smile dropped and he was hurrying away. "Not today," he whispered. "Or any other day."

"I could get it for you," Levi suggested.

Eren stopped and gawked at him. "Levi, that's a hundred dollars! No way in hell I'm letting you pay for that. That's too much."

"Not for me. I can afford it."

Eren frowned. "You already bought me two pairs of shoes. I won't let you waste that much money on me."

Levi stared dejectedly at his boyfriend. "Waste?" He repeated. "I get that it's a bit of money to you, but I'm not wasting my money by buying you things." He saw how Eren lost his entire train of thought, getting excited over the necklace. That couldn't have been for nothing. "I saw how badly you wanted it, so I want to get it for you. It's okay. It's not a bother."

Eren casted his gaze downward. "You don't have to, it's not worth it."

"But you're worth it," Levi countered.

The smallest of smiles returned on Eren's face. "You're too sweet. But I still don't want you to get it for me."

Levi sighed. "... Fine."

Eren kissed Levi on the cheek. "Thank you, baby."

Levi melted into him and took his hand as they continued to look. Though Eren was at ease, he still wanted to treat him to that necklace. He'd wanted it so badly, he just wanted to see how happy he'd be if he actually got his hands on it. And it really was nothing to him. He didn't boast on it and he wouldn't dare flaunt it, but he had more money than he knew what to do with. What would he use it for? More cars? He didn't need more. Another house? That was wasteful. He wanted to spoil his beautiful boyfriend.

They were nearing the end of the store and Levi wasn't about to let someone else buy that necklace. He told himself the excuse that it simply wouldn't look as good on anyone else as it would on Eren, so it would be an injustice to let somebody other than him have it. 

He pulled his phone out of his pocket and pretended to get a notification. "Oh, I just got an email on one of my commissions. I need to answer this."

Eren stopped in his tracks. "Oh, okay."

"You can keep looking, I just gotta respond real quick."

"Alright."

Eren was already into something else by the time Levi slipped away. He marched right back to the glass casings and called over the same employee Eren had talked to. "Hey, I'd like to buy this."

The employee boxed up the necklace delicately, smiling at Levi. "Are you getting this for...?"

"Yeah, for him." Levi pulled out his wallet, smirking as if to say 'that's right, that's my hot boyfriend. He's mine. Not yours.'

"How sweet! Is it for a special occasion?"

"No, I want to surprise him since he wants it so bad."

"He's lucky," the employee laughed. "I wish my boyfriend would treat me like that."

Levi shrugged. "Dump him and find one who will."

The employee looked at him blankly.

 

~

 

"You didn't have to pay for lunch too, you know," Eren said, finishing his meal as they sat in the mall's food court.

"I don't mind paying."

Eren rolled his eyes, but the look on his face was of fondness. "You're too nice."

"You keep saying that, but I don't think I'm all that great. I'm just trying to do what'll make you happy."

"Doing that is what makes you too nice. You don't need to do anything to make me happy."

"Of course I do, I want you to be happy—"

"No, no," Eren cut him off. "What I mean is that just by being with me, you make me happy. You don't need to buy me things or go out of your way."

Hearing that put butterflies in Levi's stomach. Nothing felt better than to know that being with Eren was enough for him. But that wouldn't stop him from going above and beyond if he could help it. 

"It's not out of the way."

"Fine, but still." Eren switched the subject, figuring there wasn't much he could do to make Levi dial back. "Hey, do you have tomorrow off too?"

"Actually I do, if you can believe it. It's a damn miracle."

"Do you think maybe we could spend tomorrow together too? That is, if you're not busy."

Levi smirked at him. "I'm never too busy for you. Actually, if you want, you could spend the night tonight."

"Really? You wouldn't mind?"

"'Course not. But I, uh... I think you should change out your jewelry before you get to my place."

Eren cocked his head at Levi. "What?"

"Not that what you're wearing right now isn't nice." Levi reached into his inner jacket pocket and pulled out the maroon box containing the necklace he'd bought and slid it in front of Eren. "I just think you might wanna take this for a spin."

"Levi, no!" Eren's tone and volume were frustrated, but the smile on his face betrayed him. "You need to return that, that's a hundred dollars!"

"Worth every penny for that pretty smile you got on," Levi countered, resting his chin on his hand.

Eren tried to frown sincerely, but he couldn't keep it up. "Levi..."

"Go on, try it on." Levi pushed the box closer to him. "I wanna see how it looks on you."

Eren shook his head. "I can't."

"Alright, alright, if you want me to do it so bad, just say so." 

"No! I didn't mean..."

Levi stood up before Eren could protest and stood behind him. He carefully took off the necklace he was already wearing and put it back in the box, then brought up the new one he'd bought, clasping it in place around Eren's neck. He sat back down and observed his cute boyfriend still trying to look mad and failing miserably with that ghost of a smile peaking through.

"There," Levi said. "Almost as beautiful as you."

"Stop it."

"Can I get a smile?"

Eren huffed out an agitated breath, then smiled genuinely for half a second before trying to frown again.

"There we go. You're so cute, you know."

"You're an ass."

"Aw, and a minute ago, you were saying how I was too nice."

 

~

 

They hit the makeup store on their way out, because Eren said he had to show something to Levi. He just thought he'd find it interesting. He brought him right in front of the display at the same store he worked at and let him check it out for himself.

Levi was actually a bit surprised. "I didn't know Kat Von D had a makeup line."

"Yeah, she does! It's all really high quality too, I've been wanting to get my hands on it. I just thought you'd think it was cool, because she's a tattoo artist and so are you." Eren was losing his confidence the more he rambled. "So... yeah, it's kinda like our two mediums in one... or something. I don't know, I-I thought it was cool." Now that he thought of it, Levi probably thought this was a waste of time.

But Levi actually did find it to be interesting. "That is cool. Do you have any of the stuff from her line?"

Eren let out a sigh of relief. "I have the green lipstick, but that's it. I'm saving up to get the whole collection at once, but that'll be awhile."

Levi nodded in acknowledgement. "This is kinda hard to believe, but I used to wear makeup too, you know."

Eren raised his eyebrows up at him. "Seriously?"

"Yeah, not a whole lot. Just some black eyeliner, but this reminded me of it."

"You better show me pictures."

Levi snorted. "I don't know, I'll have to think about that. Those were dark times when I wore safety pins in my clothes just for the look of it and had the dream of marrying Elvira."

Eren laughed at the mental image. "I'm not gonna let you forget about that. I'm going to nag you for pictures everyday until I see them. Oh!" He jumped as the realization hit him. "My friends might be working! I can prove to them we are going out because they didn't believe me!"

Before Levi could even process what he said, he left in the other direction. Well... he might as well take advantage of his absence.

 

~

 

Levi swiped his card with the entire Kat Von D line already rung up and in bags. He stilled at the sound of Eren clearing his throat behind him, then turned around to find his boyfriend standing behind him with his arms crossed, expression unimpressed, and two women behind him, one looking shocked and the other nearly laughing at the couple.

"Levi?"

"What?" Levi defended. "It could be for me, you don't know."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The necklace Eren was fawning over is based off a real one I saw years ago and it still hasn't left my mind and I'm bitter because it sold out.
> 
> The next chapter (at least I think it's the next one) is when this fic goes up in rating oooooo. Wink wink.
> 
> If you liked this, please leave a comment or kudos! I'm sorry for any errors, I don't edit. My tumblrs are dr-s--art, the-witch-daddy and extraeren is my blog dedicated to Eren's aesthetic from this fic. Thanks for reading!


	9. Sketch Work

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi and Eren take their relationship to a more physical level.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a rough night so I'm uploading this early.
> 
> Keep in mind that when I wrote this, I hadn't written smut in awhile at the time. 
> 
> Also, there's another part sorta near the end where it might be confusing, but again, it'll clear up if you just keep reading. With that being said, I hope you enjoy!

"Ah, fuck. Will you be mad at me if I have to stop back at work before we get to my house?" Levi asked.

"I don't know, I'm kinda mad at you now, so it's not like anything could make it worse."

Levi winced. "Are you really mad at me?"

Eren sighed. "I don't know. Yes and no. It's just that... you bought me two pairs of shoes, a necklace, lunch and an entire makeup line. It's not that I don't appreciate it, I'm very grateful for it all, but you didn't have to do that. That's a lot of money!"

"It's not for m—"

"I know it's not a big deal for you, but I always feel weird when people spend a lot on me. Because I can't return the favor, I don't make a massive amount of money. And I don't feel like there's much I can offer to repay you."

"Angel, you don't have to repay me. I didn't get you anything today expecting something in return, I got it all for you because you wanted it. You don't need to get even."

Eren shrunk into his seat. He didn't feel like he was worth all that money. He didn't think he was worth it, or worthy of Levi and his special treatment. "... I guess. And why do you keep calling me that?"

"What?"

"You called me angel."

"Well, yeah. Because you are an angel," Levi said as if it was obvious.

Eren's face heated up and he couldn't help but smile to himself. "No, I'm not."

"You are to me," Levi countered. 

Eren let the conversation fade. No one thought so highly of him, except maybe his family.

They pulled in front of the tattoo shop and hopped out of the car with Levi leading the way. "I left my house keys here," he explained. "And I think I left a jacket here too." He pushed open the door to find Hanji on the phone. They waved at each other briefly, not wanting to interrupt their call.

Levi and Eren went around to the back just as Petra finished giving aftercare materials to a client, who walked out, looking severely uncomfortable. "Hey! What are you two doing here?" She asked, with her hands on her hips.

"I left my keys and some other shit," Levi said. He walked over to his station and started his search. "What was up with them?" He asked, referring to their funny walk.

"Ah, you missed it!" Petra sighed. "I had a squirmer! You would've thought it was hilarious. But yeah, she got a genital piercing and well... you know. Not very soothing between the legs."

Levi nodded in understanding. "Did she scream?"

"Worse, she's one of those people who laugh when they're in pain."

"Dammit," Levi hissed. "And I wasn't here for it."

Eren cringed as the conversation went on. "Wait, so, people actually get piercings on their...?"

"Yep," Petra answered. 

"And she got one on her...?"

"Uh huh."

"God, that sounds so painful! I couldn't imagine getting one." Eren shivered at the thought.

"Yeah, I wouldn't know. Ask Levi about it sometime, he loves them."

Eren and Levi both stilled.

"... Found my keys!" Levi said trying to get out of the situation as fast as possible.

"Wait, Levi...?" Eren regarded him nervously.

Levi sighed, figuring he had to explain. "What she means is that I like having them, not giving them out. It's an awkward experience for everyone involved." 

"Wait, you mean you haven't seen them?" Petra asked casually.

Eren fixed her with a deadly sweet look. "No," he bit out. "And you have?"

"Of course! You think Levi's going to get a stranger to pierce up his dick? He barely finds people other than me to do his tattoos, let alone poke holes in him. The man's a damn clean freak, but luckily I pass his inspections."

"Petra," Levi warned.

Eren eased up, realizing that Petra hadn't seen it under other circumstances. "Oh, okay. So, you and Levi never...?"

Petra barked out a laugh. "Me and Levi? God, no!"

"There's never been anything between us," Levi added. "We're just coworkers, friends and she does most of my body modifications because I'm familiar with her."

"Yeah, nothing would happen between us in a million years!" Petra continued to laugh.

"Yeah," Levi agreed.

"You couldn't pay me enough!"

"That's... that's good, Petra. He gets it." Levi deadpanned.

"I mean never! Not even if we were the last two people on earth."

"Thank you for that."

"And I've even seen his dick like five times when he came it to get it pierced. Did absolutely nothing for me every time!"

"Thanks."

"Christ, that's a good one. Me and Levi, that's hilarious."

"Thanks. Thanks, Petra. You're a real confidence booster."

Petra slapped his shoulder. "Sure thing."

Levi looked irked as ever while Petra wiped away stray tears and Eren just watched the exchange with a beet red face. "Well, I got my keys and my jacket," Levi announced unenthusiastically. "We'll be heading out now."

"Okay, goodnight Levi!" Petra waved.

"Yeah, whatever."

 

~

 

"I'll never get over how beautiful your home is," Eren said as he walked in the door. 

"Thanks," Levi said, scratching the back of his head, unable to think of something better to say. "Did you have fun today while we were out?"

Eren turned around, wrapping his arms around Levi's shoulders. "Aside from you constantly going out of your way for me, I did. I really enjoy your company."

Levi held Eren around his waist, bringing him closer. "If it's for you, then it's not out of my way."

Eren leaned his forehead against Levi's, letting out a sigh. "You're too good to me."

"I'm not." Levi gave him a quick kiss. "I just want to make you happy."

"You do make me happy." Eren gave him another kiss in return, this time lingering and trailed his hand up to graze the back of Levi's head. 

Levi would never admit it, but he raised himself onto his toes to meet Eren more easily. It was bad enough he was a bit taller than him already, but that height added with his heels? Ridiculous. 

Eren parted slightly from Levi, his breath ghosting over his lips. "It's getting pretty late. Don't you think we should get to bed?"

Levi checked his watch. "It's only like eight thirty, babe. That's not late."

Eren gave him a look that said 'I know that, get with the program.' "Well, I'm pretty tired. Wouldn't you say you are too? It's been a long day..."

"Oh." Levi finally caught on. "Oh! Um, yeah, let's go. Come on, I'll show you up to my room." He took Eren's hand and leisurely led him up the stairs, feeling his heart racing. He was still slightly concerned about going too fast, but they'd been dating for two months and Eren wanted him. Surely if he initiated everything, it couldn't have been unwanted, right?

"Do you have a restroom I could use beforehand? Just to get ready?"

Once upstairs Levi pointed to his right. "In there. When you're done, I'll be in my bedroom, it's the one at the end on the hall."

"Okay." Eren gave him one last kiss before running off. "See you in a minute!"

Eren closed the bathroom door, for once not bothering to check the decor and immediately started taking off jewelry that would get in the way and putting it all in his purse. But with his new necklace, he took it off, eyeing it with great fondness and putting it in its box with extra care. Then, he touched up his makeup to make sure everything stayed in place. He slid off his shoes, put on extra perfume and checked his appearance thoroughly in the mirror. He wanted to look perfect for Levi.

Meanwhile, Levi was rearranging his room as fast as he could, not knowing when Eren would return. Everything for the most part was already presentable, but he still worked in his room more than any other room in the house, so he had sketch pads and canvases to move out of the way before his boyfriend got back. He stood around, looking for something else to do to make the environment even more suitable, but Eren was already back from freshening up.

"Can I set my things over here?" Eren asked, gesturing to an open space.

"Yeah, go ahead." Levi took Eren in, looking him up and down. He looked pretty much exactly the same as before he went in the restroom, but he couldn't get enough of him. He'd stare forever if he was allowed.

Eren sauntered over to Levi, getting so close he had to back up. The air between them was already getting hot and Levi felt like he kept losing his breath all together with every little thing Eren did.

"You nervous?" Eren teased.

"Me? Of course not," Levi said, fucking lying because he was so head over heels for him and thought he was the most gorgeous thing in the world, and here he was, coming at him and looking at him like he'd devour him any second now.

The back of Levi's knees hit the bed, he stumbled back and propped himself up on his elbows, inching back and distancing himself from Eren just so he could breathe again. 

But Eren was too eager. He kneeled on the bed and crawled towards him, biting his lip. Levi eventually ran out of room and Eren caught him, straddling his hips and sitting upward, looking down at him with a sly smirk. "You're cute when you're nervous," he teased.

"I-I'm not nervous," Levi stammered. God, Eren was on top of him, running his hands over his chest and he could die happy right then.

"Yeah, sure." Eren rolled his eyes. He framed Levi's face with his hands and came down to be mere centimeters from him. "Are you always this shy? Or is it just with me?"

Levi took his trembling hands and set them on Eren's hips, feeling intoxicated under his gaze. "Just you... I mean- I'm not shy."

Eren let out a soft laugh. "Are you ready?"

Levi gulped, trying to process that this was actually happening. He nodded once. "Yes. Sorry I made us wait so long, I just wanted you to know... that our relationship wasn't just a fling, you know?"

"I understand. And the wait makes it that much more worth it." Eren closed the gap, sealing their lips together and laying himself flat on top of Levi. 

Levi felt like he was on fire. They'd barely done anything yet and he was already under Eren's control. He'd let him do anything he wanted now. But still, he couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe this wonderful, beautiful, absolutely perfect person was so close to him and willing to be with him and he was being taken over more by overwhelming emotions than lustful desires. He couldn't help it. He wished he could put all his thoughts away and just give Eren anything and everything he wanted to give him pleasure, but he was shaking with how much he felt for him. Damn his stupid feelings.

He honestly wasn't self conscious with any of his past lovers, but Eren was different. At first, he couldn't even think of having sex with Eren, he just wanted to hold him tell him he loved him, but that'd be moving too fast. And Eren was everywhere, too much for him. He was all he could feel, all he could see, hear, smell. Taste. And he was perfect.

Eren moaned once his tongue slipped into Levi's mouth, and fuck if that wasn't the most beautiful sound Levi had heard. He wanted to hear more. 

Levi focused on giving Eren what he actually wanted instead of his cluttered thoughts. So, he took Eren by the waist, gently pushing him to switch their positions so that he was on top. 

"And here I was thinking you'd let me do all the work," Eren laughed. 

"No baby, I wouldn't do that." Even though he knew this was for both of them, he wanted to focus on Eren, making sure he got more out of it than he did. He wanted to give him everything. He was ready to give him everything. 

Eren helped push off Levi's jacket and discard it off the bed. Then, levi came in to kiss Eren again, unable to get enough of his soft lips and brought a hand around to weave his fingers into his hair, cradling his head gently, and using his other hand to leave careful touches down his side. 

Eren placed his hand over Levi's, urging him to tighten his grip. He started rolling his hips up, feeling Levi bite into his lip at the feeling it brought and he got the message that he could move on.

Levi parted ever so slightly from his lover, practically breathing the same air as him. "Is there any special way you want to do this? Anything specific that you like?"

"I'm up for anything, but you can be rough with me if you want. I wouldn't mind if you slapped me a few times either." He'd said it so casually, but Levi gave him a look that was borderline distraught, which made him guiltily try to stifle a laugh at his shock. "What's that look for?"

"Baby doll, I can't slap you!" Levi said exasperatedly, gently caressing the side of Eren's face like he was the most delicate thing in the world. "I don't even know if I could be rough with you at all."

Eren felt confused on why it was such a big deal to him. He thought it was funny how carefully he treated him, but was also endearing. And with every new name he gave him, the faster his heart raced and the redder his face became. Levi kept coming up with new ones. Like he treasured him.

"Why not? I don't mind, I like it."

Levi seemed at a loss for words and Eren had never seen him look so worried. "But... but I can't... but you're so precious, what if I accidentally hurt you? What if I get too rough or slap you too hard? I couldn't live with myself."

Eren loved that he was so concerned. It was so cute and amusing to him, he almost started chuckling. And it was a new and welcomed feeling to be thought of as being so precious. "Baby, I'm not made of glass. If something's too much, I'll tell you." 

Levi shook his head. "I can't risk it. You're... you're perfect, I'm genuinely worried I'll break you."

Eren could fend off the giggle that bubbled up, adding to Levi's perplexity. "Levi, it's okay. Would it surprise you to know I've been hit with a whip before?"

Levi's jaw dropped. "What?" he whined. "Why would you let someone do that to you?"

"I asked them to," Eren chuckled. "And I liked it."

"But... but..." Levi stammered. He knew some people got pleasure from pain and he had no qualms with that. But Eren was an ethereal being to him, he had to treat him with the utmost care and no less. He frustratedly pulled Eren into a tight hug, shoving his face into the pillow beside his head with his words coming out muffled. "I can't do it. I know you might like it, but I can't bring myself to do it. I don't want to give you anything but pleasure, I want to treat you and pamper you and make you feel good. I can't raise a hand to you, even if you want it. You're the kindest, most amazing and most gorgeous person I've ever met and I can't risk hurting you." Levi didn't even realize he was rambling at this point, and he couldn't be stopped. "You're this perfect angel and I'll be damned if I let anything happen to you. Fuck, everything about you is fucking perfect and it's not fair. I don't just want to fuck you for the sake of I doing it. I want to properly... make love to you..." Levi's voice lowered as he realized what came out of his mouth. "I want you to know that... I really do care about you. God, I probably just fucked this up and ruined the mood. I'm sorry—"

Eren pushed Levi back just enough to look him in the eyes. And dammit, he was tearing up. Levi wanted to take everything back for making him cry. This was such a disaster- but then he was smiling. "Do you really think that much of me?"

Levi nodded without hesitation. "I do."

Eren stroked Levi's cheek fondly. He truly wouldn't find anyone better. "Then I'm okay with us doing anything. As long as you keep talking to me like that."

Levi nodded again, bringing him into another kiss, feeling arms being wrapped around his neck to keep him close. 

Things started to get heated again. Levi being spurred on with the intent of spoiling Eren, and Eren motivated by Levi's sweet words.

Eren tugged at Levi's shirt, silently telling him it needed to go. Levi sat back and threw off the article, his earrings jingling as it was removed, and Eren went wide-eyed, gaze roaming over Levi's endless tattoos painted over his muscular form, then stopping to take notice of his abs in particular. He reached his hand out to leave feather light touches over his skin, admiring how he twitched with the contact and loving the way certain tattoos were more raised than others.

Levi came back down, leaving kisses beneath Eren's ear, causing him to moan at the attention. He started to pepper more kisses down his neck, sucking and licking gently every so often.

"You better be leaving marks where everyone can see if you're kissing me there."

"What about your job? People might—"

"I don't care. I want people to know I'm yours," Eren bit out.

That gave Levi just enough motivation to bite and suck at his skin a little harder, being careful not to apply a painful amount of pressure. Eren sighed contentedly, scratching down Levi's back to let him know the gesture was well received. "Baby?" He breathed.

"Mm?"

"Can... can I leave marks too?" He asked almost timidly.

Levi nodded and that was all Eren needed to lean up and latch onto his neck, sinking his teeth in and drawing out low moans. He loved that about Levi. He loved how he'd let people know about their relationship and let him show signs that they were together. He loved that he'd proudly wear any marks he left for all to see. It was a luxury Eren craved.

Levi gave gentle squeezes to Eren's thighs, spurring him on. When he was done getting marked up, he sat back and pushed up Eren's dress, starting to leave kisses on his abdomen, moving down inch by inch.

Eren couldn't help but watch, completely captivated. Normally, he would've drooled over Levi's broad shoulders, pronounced pectorals and beautiful biceps, wishing he'd pin him down and take him fast and hard. But the way Levi made him feel had him ignoring that. All he wanted was for him to put his sweet, adoring words into action, and by the way he was still holding him and grabbing him tenderly, he wasn't falling short. 

Levi stopped before reaching Eren's hot pink, lace panties and looked up to him asking for permission. Eren nodded, and that was all it took for Levi to hook his fingers under the panties, sliding them off tantalizingly slow, and setting them off to the side.

Levi didn't even wait before leaning down and placing kisses along Eren's hardened length and sliding his hands down to squeeze his round ass. He'd been wanting to do that for forever.

Eren dropped his head, letting out a pleasured sigh. Levi would pause to suck the tip, making Eren reach to dig his fingers into Levi's hair. 

Levi licked down his shaft, placing a kiss to each of his balls and pulling back to pull off Eren's dress completely, leaving only a bra underneath that matched his panties that were now gone. Levi hadn't expected that last article of clothing, but Eren was full of surprises. Eren stared at Levi with reddened cheeks. "You're too much..."

"And you're perfect," Levi countered, coming back to kiss him, reaching his arms around to unclasp the last thing covering him. "You're so fucking beautiful, you know that, babe?"

"Stop," Eren gasped. He wasn't prepared to receive more compliments. 

"No," Levi said smugly against him. "You're the most gorgeous person in the whole world, it's not fair."

"I'm not." Eren couldn't hide the bright smile he had as a reaction to the praise.

"And that smile is to die for," Levi murmured, biting his cheek affectionately.

Eren giggled, running his hands down Levi's back. "Says Mr. Hot Guy himself," he laughed. Levi gave him a skeptical look and he rolled his eyes. "Come on. You're going on about what you think of me, meanwhile you've got the sexiest body I've seen."

Levi averted his gaze, disagreeing with him, but incredibly flattered considering it was coming from him. "'M not... I'm not that good looking—"

"Shut up, yes you are," Eren argued, pulling Levi's face down to kiss him again. His hands roamed downward, tugging at Levi's jeans. He got the message and slipped out of his pants. "You have no idea how attractive you are," Eren said against his lips. 

Levi had no clue how to reply to that, so he responded by kissing him more fervently. He ground his hips down to meet Eren's with his still clothed (but severely hard) cock, eliciting another lovely moan from him. He drank up those noises so enthusiastically, wishing he could hear them forever. 

Eren lightly shoved at Levi's shoulders, telling him to sit up. Eren got a good look at him before shoving down his black boxer briefs, releasing him. 

"Shit..." Eren breathed. 

Levi became flooded with self consciousness after that comment. "What is it? Are you not comfortable with them?"

"No, no! The, uh... exact opposite actually." Eren had completely forgotten about their previous conversation involving Levi's hidden piercings. He certainly didn't imagine that they'd be so... abundant.

Levi sighed in relief. "Oh, good. Because some people don't like them—"

"Well I fucking love them." Eren captured Levi's lips in another kiss, pulling him back on top of him. 

Levi was surprised by Eren's sudden enthusiasm, but he wasn't complaining. He started rolling his hips into his lover more insistently and the symphony of sounds that came out of him only served to encourage him.

Levi blindly reached around for his nightstand, opening the drawer and pulling out condoms and lube for prep. He sat back again, much to Eren's disappointment at their separation. He poured lube onto his fingers, warming them up for a bit before grazing Eren's entrance, getting him used to the feeling. Then, he carefully guided in one finger, watching for any negative reactions. Luckily there weren't any. Only soft sighs and eyes falling shut. 

While Levi worked him open, he dove down to take Eren into his mouth to combat any pain he felt. He bobbed his head, adding a second finger, and soon a third once given the okay and stretched him.

Eren grasped at the sheets, trying to stabilize himself with the pleasure coming from different places. Then, Levi stroked his prostate, causing him to let out a wanton moan. "Baby..." he panted. "I'm ready."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," Eren whined, rolling his hips down. 

Levi sat up, sliding on a condom, then slicking himself up with lube. "Will you tell me if it's too much, or if you need to stop?"

"I will."

Levi nodded to himself, lining himself up at Eren's entrance and placing his hands on either side of his head, watching as he spread his legs for him. He pressed the tip of his cock up to Eren, drawing out a surprised gasp from him, and then he had second thoughts. He waited hesitantly, looking down at the other. What if he did something he didn't like?

"Levi, I need you," Eren begged for him, wiggling his hips.

Levi looked at him concernedly with furrowed brows.

Eren put his hand at the back of Levi's head, pulling him close, and kissing his cheek. "You won't hurt me," he promised. 

Levi took comfort in that and slowly eased in, watching Eren's expression to see if he was comfortable. His face tensed up, but nothing looked too pained. "Are you okay?"

"Yes." After a few moments, Eren's features were completely relaxed. "Keep going."

Levi pushed in, still at a careful pace, before bottoming out completely then giving the other time to adjust. The last thing he wanted was for him to be sore or worse.

While paused, Eren sent an adoring smile up at him, while panting and grazed the tips of his fingers over the side of Levi's face. "I love it when you blush like that."

Levi hadn't noticed just how hot his face felt. It turned to a deep crimson, contrasting with his pale skin. He lowered his face to rest beside Eren's head, not knowing what to say to him.

Eren laughed beneath him. "You're so shy, it's cute. Come back and let me look at you." Levi hesitantly raised his head, looking anywhere but at him. He put his hand up to cup his cheek. "Don't be embarrassed, you're so handsome."

If anything, that only made him blush more.

"Levi?"

"Hm?"

"You can move now."

Levi responded by pulling back out slightly, then languidly pushing back in, starting a fluid rhythm. Eren melted into the mattress, grabbing at Levi's shoulders and wrapping his legs around his waist. "F-fuck," he moaned.

"Are you okay?" Levi asked.

"Yes, you don't need to be so cautious."

Levi sped up, but just barely, keeping everything at a leisurely pace. Levi loved how surrounded he was by Eren. He laid beneath him, held his shoulders, kept him close with his legs, filled the air with his sounds of pleasure. He thought he should let him know how much he was enjoying this. "You... you feel so good." An understatement. His walls were constricting around him, tightening in all the best ways.

"You do too..." He scrunched his eyes shut for a few seconds, focusing on the feeling alone. He then leaned up to give Levi a slow kiss, pulling back just enough to show him his face and look into his eyes. "Baby, I love it."

Between the look Eren was giving him, his praises and how he felt around him, it was all too much for Levi. The man was too perfect. His cock twitched involuntarily inside of him. Eren, having obviously felt it, smirked smugly at him, knowing he'd caused it. 

Levi couldn't take it. Those lips were too alluring, they were teasing him, so he covered them with his own, kissing Eren hungrily.

Eren raked his nails down Levi's back, suddenly digging into him hard enough to leave marks after Levi'd hit his prostate head on. He drew his lips back to speak. "Baby, r-right there! Do that... again!"

Levi did as asked, reveling in the beautiful sounds Eren released. He nibbled on his ear for a few moments before asking, "Did I hit your sweet spot?"

"F-Fuck- yes!"

Levi maintained his angle, hitting the same spot over and over, reaching a hand down to stroke Eren's length.

"God, it's so... it's so good," Eren panted. "Levi...?"

Levi looked over at him. "Yes, dove?"

Eren internally screamed at the name. "I want you to go harder... faster."

Levi wasn't so sure. They'd been going so easily this whole time, what if he hurt him?

"I don't..."

"Please?"

How could he say no when he begged like that? Levi nodded and gradually sped up his pace, hitting the bundle of nerves harder with each thrust. Eren grabbed on tighter, tilting his head back and exposing his neck. 

Levi latched onto the newly shown skin, also beginning to lose himself over the sensations. He stroked Eren faster, left marks on his neck and groaned into him. He wanted to tell him that he'd never felt this good, that he was all he'd ever want, but he couldn't articulate anything at the moment. 

"Fuck, Levi... I-I'm gonna..."

"You gonna cum, beautiful?"

Eren gulped, nodding. "Yeah..."

"Me too. Don't hold back, I wanna hear you and see how gorgeous you are when you cum, okay angel?" 

"Okay- fuck!"

Levi went a little faster and that was all it took to have them both reach their climax. Eren clawed into Levi as he came, releasing over his stomach and clamping his eyes shut, nearly screaming Levi's name.

The sight was so provocative and should've been illegal, but it caused Levi to follow straight after, spilling into the condom. 

After they both rode out their orgasms, Levi pulled out, then collapsed onto Eren. 

Eren thought he was just warn out at first, but then two strong arms encased him in their grasp, seeming as if they'd never let go. They stayed like that for some time, the only thing breaking the silence being their heavy breaths. Eren didn't know how to react, he'd never been with someone who cuddled directly after sex, they always wanted their space for a couple minutes, if not longer.

Levi let go, sitting up to take off the condom and tied it up, moving off the bed to throw it out. In his absence, Eren pulled the sheets up to his chest to escape the cold and threw an arm over his face, still out of breath. That was the best sex he'd had in his life. Which he thought was odd because it wasn't heated all the way through. It started so sweetly. And then they couldn't keep themselves from getting off with each other. And Levi spoke to him so kindly. He cared about his release just as much if not more than his own. 

Levi returned to bed, smirking at how exhausted Eren looked. He pulled off the covers just enough to clean off Eren's stomach then tossed the washcloth somewhere he didn't care about. Then, with no warning, he got under the covers and pulled Eren tightly to him in a locked embrace. He never wanted to let go.

Eren was at a loss of words. Levi wanted to be consumed by his presence. That was new.

"How do you feel?" Levi finally spoke.

"Fucking amazing," Eren breathed into his chest, wrapping his arms around him. "What about you?"

"Incredible. I can't remember having better sex," he laughed.

Eren smiled against his tattooed skin. 'It's because it's always better when you care about the other person,' he thought to himself. "Me neither." 

Levi placed light kisses on the top of Eren's head. God, he was certain he was in love with him. But he'd wait to tell him. 

They both fell asleep in each other's arms, smiling as they drifted out of consciousness.

 

~

 

Eren had moved on from frilly, pink tutus and bright blue dresses that he wore in his childhood. Though, he wouldn't give up his preferences entirely, he held himself back to not get as much comments at school. He had an array of long sleeve shirts with high collars in boring stripes and dull colors that he'd roll up to his elbows that he'd pair with jeans and floor length skirts in equally dull colors. He liked to think he made the change on his own, but deep down he knew it had something to do with how his father vaguely mentioned how he assumed he'd grow out of the 'girl clothes.' He couldn't get rid of the skirts at least, he just wore things that attracted less attention.

He thought this was for the best. In truth, he craved attention, but some of it was unwanted. Especially when someone was looking for him, he could hide in the neutral earth tones and dark blues. 

"Eren!" His sister yelled at him, pulling him out of the hallway and into a corner. She had a tendency to do that nowadays. "What is that on your neck? What is that?" She hissed.

Eren tugged up his shirt collar, ashamed. "It's nothing."

"Mom is gonna kill you! Who did that to you? I'll kill them."

"Mikasa, it's okay. I let him." He'd learned to be more talkative now that he was in high school, but whenever he'd get interrogated, he'd shut down to his quiet state from his early childhood.

Mikasa gawked at him. "Are you serious? Eren, you're fifteen! You shouldn't be letting people do that. What, is he your boyfriend?"

"... I don't have a boyfriend." He wished he could be so lucky.

"Then who did that to you?"

"I don't know who that one's from—"

"You're telling me that could be from more than one person? You're letting two guys do that to you? Two guys you're not even dating?"

Eren shrunk into himself. "It's not just two," he mumbled.

Mikasa was beyond livid, shaking her head in disappointment. She yanked off her scarf and tugged it neatly around Eren's neck. "Use this to hide it from mom until it's gone. Eren... I'm graduating this year, do you know how worried I am about you? I can't protect you once I'm out of here. Have some respect for yourself."

Eren didn't know how the setting had changed, but the next thing he knew, he was being shoved into a single stall bathroom by someone he couldn't place a name to. They pushed him against the wall, pressing their lips against his hungrily. He didn't even care who it was, he would let any boy kiss him if they asked. Some didn't even have the decency to ask. But he still let them. Some said they thought he was cute, and he'd give them a quick kiss if they wanted. Some were scared to come out as gay but they wanted to know what it'd feel like to kiss another boy, and they could trust him to keep quiet. He barely spoke, who would he tell? Some wanted to know if he really would let just anybody do it, and he wasn't picky enough to deny them. And some were using him. And he knew it too.

The boy pulled back, but kept close, staring into Eren's eyes. He looked away, not one for maintaining eye contact.

The boy laughed, pulling Eren away from the wall. He shoved at his shoulder, causing Eren to stumble, but he kept on his feet. "You really are a slut, aren't you?" He dove back in to peck him on the lips, which he accepted willingly. The boy stood up straight again, examining him. 

The boy wound his hand back and slapped Eren's face as hard as he could. Eren fell back, holding a hand to the side that was struck, panting and feeling his pulse quicken with fear. And once the boy started kissing him again, he dropped his hand and let him do as he pleased.

The boy stood back up laughing. "You're still gonna let me do it? After what I just did? God, you're pathetic." He leaned in, mere centimeters away from Eren's lips. "You will not tell anyone, understood?"

Eren nodded before another kiss was sealed.

Everything changed around Eren and he realized he was in the cafeteria, sitting across from his sister. 

"I've been hearing rumors," Mikasa began, picking at her food. "You know, everyone in my class is pitying me because apparently my baby brother's going around, making out with half the guys in this school? You know I got sent to the principal's office because I hit a guy who told me he wanted to know what else you were up for because he was getting bored with kissing you? Do you realize how serious this is?"

Eren winced at her words, staring down at his tray. He felt so empty, waiting for things to get better.

"Are the rumors true?"

"It doesn't matter."

"Are they—"

"Yes." He wished she'd just stop talking.

"Why are you doing this to yourself? Why are you just letting people do what they want to you?" Mikasa's voice shook. She couldn't comprehend how her little brother had ended up like this. 

"... Because it makes me feel better."

"Feel better about what? What's going on that you need to feel better about yourself?"

Eren wiped at his eyes, willing away the dampness that accumulated.

"Is this about what... he did to you?"

Eren was in a boy's room, a day after the talk at lunch with his sister. He laid down on their bed, feeling less than nothing. Feeling like a shell and he'd hit rock bottom. He looked over at the person who invited him over, shutting his bedroom door and walking over to the bed. 

The boy glanced at Eren before unbuckling his belt, then unzipping his jeans. "Is this asking too much of you?"

"No."

Eren jolted awake, but he couldn't move. Something was restricting him. He was starting to panic, but then he looked up and oh, that's right. He was with Levi. Wonderful, loving, perfect Levi. And he was in Levi's home. And he was safe. And his memories couldn't hurt him. It was just a dream. 'Just a dream,' he told himself.

Levi stirred at the sudden movement, his eyes barely peeking open. He was in a state of half wakefulness, half sleeping. "Baby?"

"Shh," Eren hushed, kissing his chest. "Go back to sleep."

Levi closed his eyes, smiling happily after seeing Eren and dozed right off.

Eren may as well have never had the nightmare. He was completely at ease in Levi's arms. He snuggled up to him, reminding himself that Levi respected him. Levi wasn't ashamed of him. Levi wanted him to be happy.

Levi was perfect to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... I know this is like the second (maybe third idk) fic I've written where Levi has a pierced dick but I've got a thing for that headcanon let me live.
> 
> I hope this didn't come across as shaming people who are into more rough activities, Levi's just too careful and treasures Eren a tad too much. In the future, the smut will be more... adventurous.
> 
> If you liked this please leave a comment or kudos! My tumblrs are dr-s--art, the-witch-daddy, and extraeren. I'm sorry for any errors, thanks for reading! <3


	10. Cartoon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren waits for Levi to be finished with work and comes across a less than polite customer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Friday! 
> 
> I personally have to deal with a lot of racist and homophobic people at work so I wrote this chapter to get out my frustrations and write what I wish I could do. 
> 
> Enjoy <3

Levi made pancakes in the morning after they'd got out of bed. Eren was spinning like a giddy child on one of the stools near the counter, wearing only his bra, his panties, and a borrowed shirt from Levi that barely covered his ass and slipped over one shoulder. He made sure to put on fresh makeup in the morning, almost having a heart attack when he saw his makeup smudged on Levi's expensive sheets, then feeling the aftershock of that heart attack when he looked in the mirror and saw his left eye makeup was smeared and one band of false eyelashes was missing. Levi didn't mind. He thought it was cute.

Levi served their pancakes, plopping a heart shaped one on Eren plate, which made him even more giddy. He sat beside him with his own and started eating.

Eren drenched his pancakes in syrup, watching Levi eat them plain. "You're weird. Why aren't you having them with syrup?"

Levi shrugged. "I can eat more this way."

"But if they're not sugary sweet and drowning in maple, then what's the fucking point?"

Levi chuckled at that. "I don't have much of a sweet tooth, I guess. I like salty things better."

"That's confusing, considering you're so sweet." Eren kissed his cheek.

"Please, you haven't seen what I'm like when you're not around. I'm saltier than the Dead Sea."

"Why aren't you like that around me?"

"It's hard to be a grumpy old asshole when you're around," Levi muttered, taking another bite.

"Aw, I can't imagine you being grumpy." Eren started on his own breakfast, swinging his feet and Levi realized just how much of a different person he was around him.

Levi looked him up and down. He wore that old Metallica shirt better than he did. His eyes raked over all his exposed skin, wanting to sink his teeth back into him as opposed to his breakfast. His gaze lifted to the marks he left, absolutely beautiful on Eren's lovely dark skin. Then he noticed the strap over his shoulder and a question resurfaced in his mind. "Hey baby doll, can I ask you something that might be personal?"

Eren finished swallowing before answering. "You gave me the best sex of my life last night, you can ask me anything," he deadpanned.

Levi nearly choked at that, but kept himself together. "Alright. Well, I don't have a problem with it, but I'm just curious. Why do you wear a bra? You know, if you don't have..."

"Oh, that! I just... like to, I guess. I don't know, there are some things I've never liked about my body, and wearing a bra makes me feel better about one of them. I like my body as it is now, but it used to look a lot different. But I still wear a bra, even though I'd feel silly filling it, it still gives me... some shape?"

"Why don't you like your body? What's wrong with it?"

"Not much, at least not anymore. I used to have a flat ass, but an intense workout routine fixed that. A lot of my facial features I think are too harsh, but I can soften them with makeup. And, well, I got a flat chest. But I identify as a guy, so I think people would judge me if I changed that."

Levi ignored his food in favor of talking some sense into Eren. "Okay, first of all, your body is perfect the way it is. No room for debate on that. Second, I can't relate to wanting my chest to not be flat, and I'm not saying you should change, but if you want to do something that makes you more comfortable with yourself, I say go for it. Fuck what other people think."

Eren showed a small, grateful smile. "I know I shouldn't care what other people think, but it still gets to me."

"Well... fuck everyone. If people talked shit about your makeup, would you stop wearing it?"

Eren had to think about it. "... No."

"What if they had a problem with your dresses? Would those go?"

"Definitely not."

"And you think if I gave a shit about what people thought I wouldn't get tattoos?"

"No," Eren giggled.

"Right, so do what you want. Live your life and be happy." Levi ended his statement with another bite.

Eren kept eating, trying to think if he could actually go through with it. "... What would you think? If my chest wasn't flat?"

"I'd think you'd look every bit as stunning as you are now."

Eren smiled to himself. He'd think more on it later. "Alright, well... on terms of other things I'd like to change about my body, I think I have somewhat of an idea for my first tattoo. I have some money saved up, so I think I can get one. I'd still need some guidance for a final concept though."

"Alright, nice. Keep your money, and we'll talk it over. Petra and I can give you some ideas, then you can take it over from there—"

"No, no, no, no, no! You will not be paying for my tattoo. That's your income, and I can afford it!"

Levi rolled his eyes. "It's not like I won't be able to cover my bills because I don't get paid for one tattoo. You're my boyfriend, let me spoil you."

"I don't need to be spoiled!"

"Keep telling yourself that, see where it gets ya."

 

~

 

Levi bandaged up his fourth client of the day, feeling himself being warn out already. "I'm too old for this."

Petra frowned at him, wiping down her station. "You're thirty-one, shut up."

"Exactly. Old."

Petra rolled her eyes. 

"Knock, knock."

Levi turned to see his boyfriend standing at the doorway. He couldn't help but smile involuntarily and walk over to bring him into a hug, kissing his cheek. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I called and you didn't pick up, so I guessed you were here. And I know you have some free time on occasion, so I thought if you weren't too busy I could look over your portfolio and ask if you could help me figure out what I want for my tattoo." 

"Shit, you know I'd love to, but I'm all booked up until sometime after six. Maybe after that, we could leave so in case there's any walk ins, we won't be interrupted."

"And leave all the walk ins to me, thanks Levi," Petra muttered.

"Are you sure it's no trouble?" Eren winced, afraid to be an inconvenience.

"Not at all." Levi gave him a quick kiss. "But right now, I have to clean up my station, I have an appointment real soon."

"Okay, well I'll be in the waiting room, looking through the portfolios."

"Are you sure you won't be bored all that time?"

"I'm sure," Eren promised.

Hanji ran into the back room, looking frazzled. "I forgot to ask."

Levi raised his brow. "Ask what?"

"Cigarette?"

Levi groaned. "... No."

Hanji sighed in relief as if they actually expected him to say yes. "Thank goodness. That's another star for you, mister." They went through the daily routine, adding a star to the glass jar. "Levi's been without a cigarette for forever! This is how we mark his progress," they explained to Eren.

"Oh, how nice! You give him a star for everyday he goes without smoking?"

"Yup!"

"That's such a cute idea!" Eren clasped his hands together. 

Levi nodded. "Yeah, I thought it was a cool idea too."

Hanji glared at him. "No you fucking didn't."

"Uh, yes I did," Levi argued, crossing his arms.

"No, you d—"

"Hanji, is that the phone ringing?"

Hanji listened for a moment. "No?"

"I think it is, why don't you go answer it?" 

Hanji reluctantly stepped away, eyeing him. Eren tilted his head down to keep from laughing at their bickering. 

"Anyways... I need to fix up my station."

"Right, I'll be here when you get off work." He gave Levi another quick kiss and waited in the front room. 

 

~

 

"Those shoes are everything I've wanted in life," Hanji commented. As it turned out, they got along incredibly well with Eren.

"Thanks," Eren gushed. "Levi bought them for me."

"That pissed off wrinkle bought those for you, but wouldn't buy me a stethoscope for my thirtieth birthday? That's a milestone birthday!"

"When would you ever use it?" They heard Levi shout from the other room.

"I'd find a time!" Hanji yelled back. "Anyway, that's some favoritism bullshit. But those shoes suit you. Can you walk in them?"

Eren nodded. "Yeah, I haven't found a pair that give me trouble. I walk in heels everyday."

"Damn, I wish I could do that. That's a nice outfit too, did Levi also get that for you? I need guilt material so I can get my damn stethoscope."

"I'm not getting it for you!" Levi yelled.

"We'll see about that!"

Eren laughed, looking down at his outfit. A simple, strapless, holographic crop top and a glittery, ruffled, tie dye skirt. And of course, the new necklace Levi had got him. "Just the necklace. He needs to stop spending money on me."

"Boy, you have no idea how good you have it."

The doorbell chimed as a customer walked in. The two turned to see a scrawny man shuffle in, looking bitter as he walked up to the front desk. "I, uh, have an appointment with Levi."

Hanji looked through the schedule book. "Don?"

"That's me."

"Levi's still setting up, he'll be ready for you any minute now. I'll just go tell him you're here." Hanji left briefly to notify Levi.

The man shuffled around to find a seat, when his eyes landed on Eren and he frowned even harder (if that was possible). He slowly made his way to an empty seat a couple chairs down from Eren, and sat quietly.

Eren waited for Hanji to get back, but when they returned, the phone went off and they were stuck answering it. He looked down at his nails, already having looked through both Levi's and Petra's portfolios, so he waited to be occupied. He heard an annoyed sigh coming from the right of him and looked over, finding the stranger slouching and shaking his head disapprovingly at nothing.

The man flicked his gaze back over to Eren. Eren felt odd under his stare, but offered him a brief smile, then looked back down at his nails.

"Can't go anywhere nowadays without people like you at every corner," the man spat.

Eren looked back up and found that it was the stranger speaking. He was looking right at him but Eren still searched around to see if he was in fact the person he was talking about. "I'm... I'm sorry?"

"No, I'm sorry. Sorry that I'm unfortunate enough to find another transvestite while I'm trying to go about my day, minding my own business."

Eren frowned at him. He was the unlucky one. "If you're harassing me, then you're not minding your own business."

The man scoffed. "You certainly aren't either. Why don't you keep your freakish hobbies to yourself and walk around in your little dresses in your own home, instead of subjecting the rest of us to it too?"

Eren knew there was no use arguing with him, but he hated letting people walk all over him. "Why don't you keep your terrible attitude to yourself in your own home instead of sharing it?"

"I shouldn't have to put up with people like you."

"Like you're any better," Eren countered.

"Excuse me, but I'm not the one dressed up like a gay, underaged hooker."

"Hey!" Hanji hollered after getting off the phone. "You leave him alone, he's not hurting anyone."

"He's obstructing my view," the man pathetically reasoned.

"Yeah? You might be obstructing his view. Lighten up." 

"I don't have to put up with these damn homos and their disgusting lifestyles. He shouldn't even be here, he's a filthy, repulsive—"

"Shut up," Hanji interrupted, standing up and setting their hands on the desk. "We hold the right to kick you out if you're causing a disturbance. And right now, you are a disturbance."

Eren shrunk into himself, shutting down and becoming mute. He hadn't been talked to like this in some time.

"He's the disturbance. He's forcing his dirty practices on the public—"

"He's just sitting there, waiting patiently. He's not forcing anybody to do anything. He didn't even talk to you when you sat down. You're the one making him feel unsafe."

"He shouldn't even be allowed out in public, let alone an open establishment—"

"Ahem." Levi cleared his throat, standing in the doorway with his arms crossed and his eyes narrowed in on the man. "You Don?"

"Yes, that's me." 

"Come on. Everything's set up." 

The man stood up and hobbled into the back room, walking past Levi. Levi walked over to Eren, holding his hand out. Eren confusedly offered him his own hand and Levi checked his nails. "Is that that old anime? Sail..."

"Sailor moon," Hanji filled in.

Eren nodded.

Levi looked over his nails one last time before letting go of his hand. He looked at Eren, giving him a wink, then walked back.

"Why did you check his nails?" Hanji asked.

Levi shrugged. "As an artist, I sometimes get a little low on inspiration."

Hanji knitted their brows in thought. Then, the gears slowly started turning in their head and they dropped their jaw. "You're not."

"I am."

"Oh my god!" Hanji said quietly so the client wouldn't hear and started slapping their knee in joy.

Levi left and Eren stared in his wake, perplexed.

"Eren, honey just wait. It'll be worth it," Hanji said.

 

~

 

Levi came out an hour and a half later, holding his phone and money in his hands. He handed the money to Hanji and the phone to Eren wordlessly with a picture pulled up, then gave him two ear plugs. 

Eren gasped at the photo, covering his mouth with his hand. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. He looked back up at Levi. "You didn't," he whispered.

"I did." Levi took the phone back and handed it to Hanji to see, making them giggle silently. "Might wanna shove those in your ears."

Eren did as told. "Did he see?"

Levi shook his head, smirking and pointing his thumb behind him. "On his back."

Levi's client asked for a tattoo on his left shoulder blade of a tiger as a symbol of strength and courage. Levi thought the placing was absolutely perfect, one of the flattest spots to tattoo. And also out of one's field of vision. Something Levi didn't like about his idea was that it lacked a sense of style and playfulness. So, he took some artistic liberties and tattooed his tiger in a more cartoony, humanoid style, complete with a sailor moon scout uniform, since he made it clear how much he liked Eren's outfit.

Levi took his phone back and smiled all the way back into the tattooing room. "Well, you're all set. Wanna take a look in the mirror?"

"Of course." The man stood up and stood in front of the mirror, back facing it and took the smaller mirror Levi handed him. Petra was giggling the whole time. "You..."

Levi clapped his hands together. "And with that, it's my time to clock out. Petra, you'll watch the shop with Hanji for me, won't you?"

"Sure will!" 

"You fuckin' jackass!" The man screamed, his face turning beet red with rage. "I can't believe you! What the fuck is that?! That's not what I asked for!"

"It was my understanding that you asked for a tiger, and that is exactly what I gave you." Levi turned on his heel and walked away with the man still screaming his head off. "Well, I'm out."

"I aspire to be like you one day," Hanji commented, looking through their magazine and blocking out all the noise from the other room. 

"Sorry to leave you with him," Levi apologized.

Hanji waved him off. "Worth it."

Levi gestured for Eren to stand up, which he did, holding the ear plugs in. "Let's go."

The man came stomping out like a toddler. "I'll sue you for this, goddamn it! I'll get your license taken away!"

"I'm sure you will," Levi sighed. 

"I'm going to get this removed immediately!"

"I don't give a shit, I still have your money," Levi chuckled. "After the compliments you gave to my beautiful boyfriend here, I couldn't help myself. Surely you understand."

"You damn homos, the both of you!"

The man continued screaming as Levi walked out with Eren. "See you tomorrow, Hanji!" Levi said.

"Later, my guy!"

Eren just smiled and waved at the stranger before closing the door and taking out his ear plugs. "You didn't have to do that."

"I know, but if I had the opportunity to go back and not do it, would you tell me to?"

"... Not really," Eren laughed. 

"You see, it's the perfect plan. He sat for a long time enduring painful and uncomfortable process, got a tattoo he hates, had to cough up money for the tattoo he hates, and now even though he despises it, he has to take care of it or he'll get an infection. And if he doesn't, hey he's got an infection. Then, he's either stuck with the tattoo he hates forever, or he gets it removed. Which means he's out of more money and has to undergo a process even more painful than getting the tattoo. Serves him right for being a miserable piece of shit."

Eren shook his head, smiling fondly at him. He rewarded Levi with a long kiss, throwing his arms around him. "You're a genius."

"Not really, I just hate assholes." He looked around, in search of Eren's car. "So, where should we go to discuss your tattoo?"

"Hm... you've never been to my place. At least not inside, wanna go there?"

"Sure."

"Okay, just follow me then." Eren went over to unlock his car and Levi was nearly blinded. 

"That's your car?" Levi asked, staring at the hot pink punch bug with a tiny dent in one of the doors and paint chipping around the wheels.

"Yeah!" Eren answered excitedly. "Someone was selling it for four hundred dollars, can you believe that?"

"I actually can," Levi said under his breath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm actually not sure what the consequences for doing something like that would be other than a broken nose and a bad review. Oh well, this is fiction so I guess it doesn't matter.
> 
> In case you wanted to see the beauty that is Eren's outfit, here's his crop top: https://extraeren.tumblr.com/post/160710321255/holographic-space-vacuum-holographic-paint-drip
> 
> And his sailor moon nails: https://extraeren.tumblr.com/post/160644678325/lhouraii-i-just-listed-these-and-the-blue-ones
> 
> If you want to see more of the kind of things Eren would have/wear, check out my tumblr, extraeren.
> 
> If you liked this, please leave a comment or kudos! I'm sorry for any mistakes, I don't edit. My tumblrs are dr-s--art and the-witch-daddy. Thanks for reading!!!


	11. Illustrative

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi goes inside Eren's apartment for the first time and they discuss tattoo plans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to be moving out next week, so surprise updates might be scarce, but I will keep up with the Friday updates, I promise! (Pray that my roommate will like anime).
> 
> I hope this chapter wasn't too bad, enjoy!

Levi parked in front of Eren's apartment, recognizing the exterior from all the times he'd picked him up. But now it was time to go in. Levi still couldn't believe Eren lived in such a dully painted, faded building. 

Eren led the way through the corridor and unlocked his door, but stopped before walking in. "Oh... you don't have any sunglasses on you, do you?"

"No, why?"

"I've been told that my apartment is a bit... bright."

Levi huffed out an amused breath. "I think I can handle it."

Eren shrugged and stepped in with Levi following closely. Levi's eyes stung.

If the exterior of Eren's home didn't look like him, the interior certainly did. Shutting the door, he looked at his blinding surroundings and waited until his eyes refocused. 

The walls were all painted in neon colors, the carpet was a vibrant green, every piece of furniture was a different color scheme and pattern, and though nothing was dirty, the surfaces of every shelf, desk and table had a somehow 'organized' clutter to them, being absolutely covered in different decorations and knick knacks. The whole place screamed 'Eren.'

"Wow, your place is... wow," Levi commented lamely.

"Thanks!" Eren beamed. "I know I really oughta save my money to get a better car or house or something, but I always end up spending it all on the things I wear and the things I decorate with. It'd be nice to have a more long term home or vehicle, but... I like all this stuff." He gestured to, well... everywhere. "Pretty things make me happy."

Levi thought it was so precious. Eren was a collector of many things. Clothes, jewelry, makeup, and little items with no real function that livened up his home. He wanted so little out of life.

"Oh, how rude of me." Eren slapped his forehead. "Do you want something to drink? I've got grape juice, lemonade, water..."

"I'll take lemonade if that's fine."

Of course, even Eren's glasses and silverware were colorful. He brought out two glasses and poured their drink, and Levi should've expected that it was pink lemonade. 

"Let's go sit down, I printed some ideas that I have," Eren said. Levi followed him and sat down on his soft, pink sofa. Eren brought out a few sheets of paper that he'd printed out and laid them out on the coffee table. "This is all I have so far. I kinda want this castle I found, but I want the colors to be different. Then I was thinking we could add some of these crystals that I found, but I don't really know where this would go," he explained, pointing to each paper. "Then I was hoping we could put in some of these other things I had, but I'm not sure. What do you think? Does it sound too cluttered?"

Levi looked everything over and was already starting to get ideas of how he'd tie it all together. "Not at all. Where are you thinking of getting this?"

"I was thinking on my upper arm."

"Nice, and how big do you want it?"

Eren gestured to the area he wanted. "I'd like it to be from my shoulder to my elbow."

Levi raised his brows for a half second, but caught himself and tried to look neutral. But Eren had seen his brief look of apprehension. "Is that a bad idea?"

"Not necessarily. It's just that that's a somewhat large area to cover and with all the details, it would take awhile, and you've never been tattooed before. How high is your pain tolerance?"

Eren shrugged. "Pretty high, I think."

Levi nodded. "... Well, you might want to consider getting a smaller tattoo just to start off with. Then if you can handle that well, we can move onto this one. Do you have any other ideas?"

Eren bit his lip in concentration. "Well... I had another idea that I thought I'd get done after this one, but it might be easier to get first."

"Alright, what is it?"

"I really like parrot tulips, so I thought I could get them on my lower back. I think they'd be a lot less detailed and that's not a bad spot to get them."

Levi lowered his face into his hands, seemingly frustrated.

Eren felt worried that his idea was stupid or unachievable. "I-Is that a bad idea?"

"No, no, it's not." Now that his face was uncovered, Eren could see he was trying not to laugh. "It's just that everyone thinks that the lower back isn't so bad, but it's one of the more painful spots to get tattooed."

Eren cocked his head. "But it's so flat, wouldn't that make it easier?"

"On the artist, yeah," Levi chuckled. "Just think about it. Nerves are spread all throughout the body. But where are nerves concentrated?"

Eren thought about for a minute. He wasn't an expert on anatomy. "I thought it was the head or the spine."

"Right, well, the spinal cord is a shit ton of bones, so that alone is uncomfortable. But the most nerves in the spine are at the very base. And where's that?"

Eren winced, putting two and two together. "Oh, the lower back."

"Exactly. It may be flat, but you're hitting a bunch of nerves head on. That's also why people think getting their asses tattooed won't hurt, because it's got 'extra padding,' but it's right at the base of the spine with all those nerves, so it hurts like a bitch."

Eren nodded, laughing. "Okay, how about you just tell me where not to get a tattoo and I'll narrow it down from there."

"Just think of it like this. If your stereotypical teenage girl is coming in to get her first tattoo, don't get one anywhere you'd assume she'd want it. They always want their first tattoos in the worst spots."

"Oddly enough, I can guess where they'd get them."

Levi nodded. "They always want one, even if it's small, on their lower back, their ankle, their wrist, their ribs... it's kinda funny."

"Any other places I should avoid?"

"Yeah, obviously your head and face. Then your sternum, your elbows, knees, hands, feet and we don't do first timers on the neck. Also, the armpits—"

"I can promise you I'm never getting anything on my armpit, so don't worry about that," Eren giggled. 

Levi smiled. He couldn't imagine Eren getting a tattoo there anyway. "Good, because it really fucking hurts."

"I guess I have to take some more time thinking about what I want," Eren sighed.

"Take all the time you need, I'm not going anywhere."

Eren knew Levi meant that he wouldn't stop tattooing any time soon, but he took that in another direction. He didn't want to be a bother to Levi. 

 

~

 

Levi asked to spend the night, and Eren couldn't tell him no. He led Levi into his room, and he wasn't even surprised that the room was just as vivid as the rest of his home.

"You have a lava lamp? I forgot those existed."

"Yeah, check it out." Eren plugged it in and it came to life. "Now it's like we're in the seventies," he joked.

"I think we'd need a lot more than that to be in the seventies."

"That's why I said its 'like' the seventies," Eren laughed. "You make yourself comfortable, and I'm gonna go change."

"You can change right here, I won't mind," Levi suggested, wiggling his eyebrows.

"That's tempting, but I think it would be a better reveal if you didn't see the changing process."

"Reveal of what?"

"You'll see!" Eren didn't leave any room for further inquiries and left his room to change in the bathroom.

Levi smirked to himself, dropping down onto Eren's bed. In his absence, he took in his surroundings. He never once considered the thought that he'd ever be in such an eccentric room. None of it matched his tastes, but it was what Eren liked, so he wasn't as put off as he normally would've been. He ran his hand along the soft, rainbow colored comforter. He looked beside the lava lamp, finding glass figures that had iridescent reflections and other colorful trinkets. He stared upward and found a cheap, purple chandelier that one could get at any department store. Levi guessed that Eren must've been a bit of a crow, seeing how much he collected shiny things.

Meanwhile, in the bathroom, Eren was changing into a turquoise lingerie set that he hid in the closet for situations such as these. He pulled on his thigh high stockings, latching them in place with garters. Then he slid on his lace panties that he loved to death and strapped on the matching bra. He contemplated lacing up the corset that went with the rest of the outfit, but he wasn't sure how Levi would feel about that garment, and he didn't want to keep him waiting. Quickly, he put on a fresh layer of makeup where he needed it, added a few spritzes of perfume and checked himself in the mirror. With all his past boyfriends, he felt so confident strutting back into his room in this very same ensemble. It was always so well received. But Levi liked things that were on the polar opposite ends of his own tastes. Levi always made his heart race, which couldn't necessarily be said for his previous lovers. He had to make Levi impressed. But he couldn't do that if he never left the bathroom. So, he took a deep breath, held his chin up, slid on some heels, and sauntered back to the bedroom.

Levi perked up when the door opened again, revealing the same Eren that he could've sworn had visited his dreams on occasion. 

Eren shut the door, moving slowly, so Levi could take everything in. As nervous as he felt, he hid it by smiling innocently at his boyfriend, feigning the confidence he was lacking. "Well? What do you think?"

Levi couldn't form words. His jaw dropped slightly and his eyes roamed all over Eren's body. Every time he thought he couldn't get more beautiful, he proved him wrong. "... Wow," he breathed, unable to articulate just what he was thinking. "I-I mean... fuck."

Eren laughed, biting his lip nervously. It was clear that Levi liked what he saw, but he wasn't sure of exactly what he was thinking.

"Come here," Levi said, motioning him over with his hand. "Let me see you."

Eren walked over, his heels not making a sound on the carpet, and climbed on the bed, straddling Levi's lap and sitting back just enough for him to get a good look at his body, then linked his hands behind Levi's neck. "Do you like it?" Eren asked anxiously.

"I fucking love it," Levi answered without thinking, setting his hands on Eren's hips, running them across the lacy fabric. "God, you're too beautiful."

Eren chuckled, relieved that Levi liked it so much. "You're face is really red," he commented giddily.

Levi straightened out, avoiding Eren's gaze, not really sure where to look. Eren had a talent for taking him apart without even trying.

Eren leaned closer to start trailing kisses down Levi's jaw, running his hands over his chest. "I think this," he tugged on Levi's shirt, "needs to go. What do you think?"

"I-I think so too," Levi stuttered, cursing himself. He always wanted to show his boyfriend how smooth he could be and make him feel good in bed, but by the time Eren gave him a certain look, all hopes of keeping himself together went out the window. 

Eren pulled off Levi's shirt and threw it aside, immediately going back in to leave kisses down his neck. He gazed at his work and had to hold back a laugh. "Oh, I made a mistake," he murmured.

Levi furrowed his brows. "What?"

"Um..." Eren snickered. "I forgot this lipstick is really messy. I keep leaving prints with it."

Levi wished he could see. "You can leave them fucking everywhere for all I care." He tilted Eren's chin up to connect their lips in a kiss, pulling him by the waist to bring him close.

Eren pulled back for a split second. "Is that an invitation?"

Levi nodded a little too enthusiastically, it was like his birthday had come early. Eren was all too happy to give him what he wanted and left kisses across his entire face while he reached his hands down. He set is hand over Levi's abdomen, slowly lowering it under the band of Levi's jeans. He kept going down and down until he felt Levi's hardened length and heard the older man shudder.

Eren smiled against Levi's cheek. "It's so easy to get you excited."

Levi frowned, but it was more at himself than Eren's comment. "I'm not usually like this..."

"Only with me, right?" Eren teased like he had during their first time together. 

And just like their first time, Levi was too honest. He nodded. 

Eren's heart skipped a beat again. Levi had a way of making him feel special, making him feel like he had something irreplaceable. But he didn't know how to respond to that, so he changed the subject. "You should see yourself," he giggled. "All covered in lipstick, it's a good look for you."

"Then you should keep it that way. Leave it all over me every morning before we go out together so people know who I belong to."

Levi knew exactly what to say to make Eren's heart race. There was nothing he wanted more than to let everyone know they were together. And while he was sure he probably wouldn't leave kisses all over Levi's face like he just had, he considered leaving a single kiss somewhere visible in the future.

When Eren stayed still for a moment, Levi decided to get things rolling. "Come here, kitten." Levi tugged him closer, pulling him into a kiss. 

Eren had the intentions of spoiling Levi that night and taking control, but Levi wore him down just with a few sweet words.

 

~

 

Eren panted heavily, drenched in sweat, feeling completely wrecked and the only thing Levi bothered to remove were the panties, which were lost now but he couldn't bring himself to care. Levi had fucked him so thoroughly and satisfied him so completely that one missing garment was nothing to him. He looked over to Levi, who laid beside him, equally as spent, with his hair an absolute mess and his chest rising and falling with each breath. His whole face was painted with pink, half because of his blush from exertion and half because of all of Eren's lipstick he so kindly shared with him. Eren wished he could take a picture. 

After he caught his breath, Levi grabbed some tissues to clean the off, disposed of them, then immediately brought Eren into his arms in a secure embrace, with no intentions of releasing any time soon.

Eren loved being held in Levi's strong arms. It was his favorite new treat to himself. 

"I'm sorry," Levi breathed.

"What for?"

"I set my face on your pillow without thinking and now there's makeup on it."

Eren laughed, cuddling up to him. "Don't worry about it, I've done worse before. I can wash the cases."

Levi sighed in relief. He felt sleep starting to overcome him, and due to how the spent their entire day, he wished he could tell Eren how much he adored him, how much he meant to him and how he was head over heels he was for him, but he still thought it could be moving too quick. So, as his drowsy state took over, just before he shut his eyes and fell out of consciousness, he mumbled, "You're an angel..."

Eren smiled uncontrollably, staring at Levi as he drifted into sleep. He felt so lucky to be with someone who treated him so carefully and valued him so much. He couldn't let Levi go, he was positive that he'd never find another person like him.

With pleasant thoughts, he fell asleep. But his thoughts didn't stay so enjoyable during his slumber.

Hours later, Levi was the one to wake first. He felt Eren trembling in his arms, so his forced his eyes open to find him shaking in his sleep. Eren breathed harshly, forcing the air in and out like he'd been running a mile. His brows were furrowed and whimpers slipped past his lips. 

Levi wasn't sure if Eren would've wanted him to let him sleep, but by the way he looked so distressed, he couldn't let him suffer through whatever he was facing in his dreams. He gently shook his shoulder, then a little harder when he still wouldn't wake up. "Eren," he called. "Babe, wake up."

Eren jolted awake, still finding it hard to breathe. He looked around, trying to see where he was before his eyes focused on Levi.

"Sweetheart, are you okay?"

Eren calmed down, but still took in huge gulps of air. He nodded once.

"Did you have a nightmare or something?"

Eren nodded again, staring at Levi as if he'd disappear if he looked away. 

"Poor baby." Levi stroked the side of Eren's face. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Eren immediately shook his head. 

"Do you need anything? Water? Do you need some fresh air? I could open the window."

Eren shook his head again, tucking his head under Levi's chin to comfort himself. Levi was there, he was in his room, he was okay.

"... Can you talk?"

Eren realized he hadn't spoken yet. "Y-yeah. Yeah, I can talk."

Levi stroked his back reassuringly, kissing the top of his head. "You're safe. It was only a dream. Everything's okay, I'm here for you."

Eren closed his eyes and breathed in Levi's scent. Levi wouldn't hurt him. He wouldn't make him feel small. He wouldn't ignore him. "...Thank you, Levi." 

Levi kept leaving kisses. "Don't mention it."

Eren didn't have any nightmares for the rest of the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys liked this one, sorry I skipped out on the smut details, I was burnt out from writing smut scenes when writing this.
> 
> If you liked this, please leave a comment or kudos! (Your comments are so sweet and they make my day! You guys are the best!!!) My tumblrs are dr-s--art, the-witch-daddy and extraeren. I'm sorry for any errors, I don't edit. Thanks for reading! <3


	12. Geometric

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren wants Levi to be a little more involved in his activities while he gets his nails done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was it just me or was that the longest week ever? It might've been because I had so much to do, but yikes it felt like two whole weeks went by. (I also saw Green Day and was so sore from head banging that I couldn't do things comfortably, so maybe that has something to do with it.)
> 
> ALSO HERE IS SOME FANART FROM THIS CHAPTER ITS SO CUTE AND I LOVE IT!!!! https://dr-s--art.tumblr.com/post/165866152628/niji-san-me-for-dr-sart-hello-there-is
> 
> Enjoy!

Levi developed a habit of staying the night at Eren's home and vice versa. Levi woke up on a Sunday morning in Eren's empty bed. He looked around drowsily, unable to find his lover anywhere in the room. So, he hoisted himself off the bed, still barely awake, threw on his boxer briefs and began his search.

It didn't take long to find him, Eren was in the bathroom, nearly finished with doing his makeup in front of the mirror. 

Levi leaned against the doorframe, crossing his arms and smirking at him. "Hey."

Eren grinned at him before turning back to do the finishing touches. "Hey, handsome."

Levi watched him put on his mascara and shuffled in, standing next to him to observe his work through the mirror. "Why do you run off in the morning? I don't get to cuddle you once I wake up."

"Because. I mess up my makeup in my sleep, so I have to fix it before you see me."

Levi snorted. "I don't mind. Or you could just remove it when you wake up or before you go to sleep."

Eren shuddered. "God, no. I don't want you to see me without my makeup."

Levi rolled his eyes. "I've seen you without makeup that one time. And I saw you without makeup on your Instagram." He didn't miss how Eren winced. "I like the way you look when you don't wear makeup. You got natural beauty."

Eren shook his head, laughing uncomfortably. "Yeah... no. No, I don't like how I look without it."

Levi frowned. "Why not? You're fucking gorgeous."

Eren smiled, but he still wasn't comfortable remembering Levi had seen his bare face. "I'm really not, though..."

Levi stepped behind Eren, wrapping his arms around his waist and setting his chin on his shoulder to look at him through his reflection. "Keep telling yourself that. And you can wear makeup all you want, but you're beautiful without it too." He smirked at Eren's blush, laughing lightly as he tried to avoid his gaze. "You're perfect, baby doll. Don't try to deny it." He kissed Eren's shoulder, satisfied when he smiled genuinely, yet timidly.

"I'm not perfect, don't say that," Eren laughed.

Levi accepted that as a challenge.

He kissed all over his shoulder, his neck, the side of his face, everywhere he could reach. Drawing out as many giggles as he could, and giving him affirmations in between kisses. "You're perfect. You're beautiful... and you're sweet... and you're funny..."

"Stop!" Eren laughed, trying to worm out of his grip. 

"And I like your voice... and you're sexy... and I like it when you tell me about your day..."

"Levi! That tickles!" Eren said when he kept kissing at his neck.

"And your laugh is cute... and you're smart... and I love you—" Levi stilled immediately after saying that. In all honesty, it just... slipped. He couldn't take it back, because if he said he didn't mean it, that would be a lie. But he didn't want to tell him so soon either. So, he did what he felt would give him the best chance and tried to play it off as if it was intentional, and he kept peppering kisses onto Eren's shoulder, though much more hesitantly. And even though he was trying to hide his slip up, he was certain Eren's could feel how hard and fast his heart was beating due to how tightly he held him.

Eren heard him loud and clear, and it made him want to melt. But he wasn't ready to make himself vulnerable by returning his words. So, he turned around -Levi being too anxious to have a good grip on him anymore- and kissed Levi on the lips. "You're too good for me."

Levi relaxed when Eren didn't show any aversion towards his statement. "I'm just being honest."

Eren shook his head, smiling like a fool. "Then, you're delusional."

"Just accept that you're perfection in human form. Then maybe I'll back off. Maybe."

Eren mulled it over, grinning mischievously. "What if I don't want you to back off?"

"Trust me, I don't have a problem with that."

 

~

 

Eren shut the door of his apartment, digging for his keys in his purse to lock it. "You're not gonna do that thing where you buy me everything I get today, right?"

Levi shrugged. "I mean, there's no telling what can happen. The future is a mysterious—"

"Levi. No. No more."

"It's not a big deal."

"You've done it the last three times we went out shopping!" Eren said, finally finding his keys. "It's not like I don't appreciate it, but it's a little... excessive."

"I'll stop when you stop wanting things."

Eren fixed Levi with an unimpressed look. His attention was grabbed by the footsteps coming down the stairs and he turned to greet the person who lived in the apartment above him.

Eren's sister trudged down the stairs with bags under her eyes, looking like she hadn't slept in days.

"Hey, Mikasa!" Eren chirped.

"Hey—" Mikasa narrowed her eyes at Levi. "You," she spat.

"Your sister lives above you?" Levi asked.

"You're damn right I do," Mikasa answered for him. "And for what, two months has it been? For two months, I've been wishing I didn't. Because you—" Mikasa closed her eyes and regained her breath, trying to calm herself. "Because BOTH of you are keeping me from sleeping at night!"

Eren bit his lip, feeling guilty, while Levi just stared in confusion.

Mikasa tiredly set a hand on Levi's shoulder, finding it hard to keep her eyes open. "Look, I don't care what you two do together. That's not my business. But I don't wanna have to hear it whenever you're over. It'd be different if you were strangers, but that's my little brother you're screwing and I don't want that imagery in my head, let alone the sounds that accompany it coming from under my apartment."

Mikasa turned to face the both of them. "So, just... put a gag in it or keep it down." And with that, she left.

Levi had never seen Eren's face so red or his expression so mortified. "Is this a regular thing?"

"No! I didn't know she could hear anything from my apartment!"

Levi took Eren's hand and started to walk out the door. "Well, I'm sure you've had boyfriends before. She never heard you then?"

Eren stared at the ground as he walked. "No, I never brought them to my apartment."

They got inside Levi's car, and while they buckled up, Levi asked, "Why not?"

Eren shrugged. "I don't know. I guess because my apartment is so... loud, for lack of a better word. It's all bright colors and I don't think many people could take my bedroom seriously."

"Then why'd you bring me?"

Eren had to think about it. He just felt so comfortable with Levi knowing and seeing the more personal things about him. He didn't think that if Levi didn't like how he lived or decorated then he'd leave. "I think it's because... I'm not sure. I think maybe it's because you're an artist, so you're more understanding of different kinds of expression. I don't believe that you're judgmental."

Levi watched the rearview mirror as he pulled away from the curb, then driving off. "Well, I'll never judge you or the things you do. I can promise you that much."

Eren smiled at that.

A silence settled between them as they began making their way to their destination, then Levi was the one to break it. "You know, your sister did have a good idea."

Eren raised a brow at him. "What?"

"Using a gag."

Eren went bug-eyed and if Levi thought Eren's face couldn't get any redder earlier, he was proved to be horribly wrong. "U-Um—"

"Baby, I was joking," Levi chuckled.

Eren fidgeted in his seat. "Well... yeah, I know, but..."

Levi hoped he wasn't assuming anything, but by the way Eren was acting, he was starting think he didn't hate the idea. "What is it? Do you actually want to try that?"

Eren looked away, trying to straighten himself out. "I mean... I think..."

"We can talk about this later."

"Agreed."

 

~

 

Eren held Levi's hand as he led him through the mall, heading towards the nail salon. 

Once there, Eren stopped in front of the wall of bottles of nail polish and started pondering over which color he wanted. After a minute, he glanced over at Levi who was looking around blankly and realized that he probably was going to be bored waiting for him to be finished getting his nails done. 

"Levi, baby, pick a color for me," Eren beamed, tugging on Levi's arm.

Levi looked at him, puzzled. "What?"

"Pick a color for me!" Eren gestured to the bottles.

"Um... what kind of color do you want?"

Eren wanted Levi to feel more involved, so he thought it would be fun to let him pick out how his nails would look. "As long as it's not pastel, earth toned, or black, white and grey."

Levi looked at his selection and thought. "That's most of them." The majority of the colors were bright and vibrant.

"Then you've got a lot of options."

Levi thought it over, not wanting to choose a color that Eren didn't like. He tried thinking of a color that reminded him of Eren, something that he was sure he'd enjoy. When he thought of his boyfriend, he thought of how bright he was and how happy he always seemed, so he chose a bright yellow, associating it with being a happy color. Eren made him happy, so it made sense. And he could think of several times when he wore the color, so he was sure he wouldn't hate it.

Levi handed Eren his bottle of choice and was relieved to see him smile widely. "One of my favorite colors!"

"What is your favorite color?"

"All of them."

Levi rolled his eyes amusedly. "Right, of course."

They walked over to the front counter and the woman working there took Eren over to a chair to get started. Eren grabbed onto Levi's hand and pulled him along. "Can you choose the shape for me too?"

Levi huffed out an amused breath. "Don't you usually make these decisions by yourself?"

Eren shrugged, grinning timidly. "I like to be surprised sometimes too."

Levi figured that it wasn't a big deal, so he pointed to the one he personally liked the best, which were nails that came to more of a point. "Those look badass."

Eren and the woman who would be doing his nails both laughed. "They're my favorites, too."

Levi noticed in the time that they'd been dating that he was more more fond of those nails as opposed to rounded ones or nails that were squared off. Once everything was settled, Levi went to sit down next to a stranger flipping through a magazine while he waited for his boyfriend to be finished.

While waiting, Levi would scroll through his phone and check on Eren, watching him chat and laugh with his manicurist. Waiting wasn't so bad, he thought.

After a considerable amount of time, Levi heard his name called and looked up to see Eren inviting him over. He walked over and looked at the brightly covered nails, noticing the ring fingers left untouched. 

"Do you want to choose a pattern for the last two?"

Levi had no idea why all this was being asked of him, but it did feel nice that he was getting to have a say in it. Almost like they were enjoying the process together. "Do you want me to?"

"Mhm!" Eren nodded.

The manicurist slid over a sheet with examples to help him decide and Levi was even more worried that he'd pick something bad. "I don't want to choose something that you think is ugly."

"There's not much of anything that I think is ugly," Eren scoffed.

Levi shrugged and looked at his options. His eyes settled on a honeycomb pattern that transitioned from light to dark. He felt that it went along with the yellow theme. "Do you like that one?"

Eren took a look and nodded. "Yeah, that one's really pretty!"

"Then that one."

"Come here," Eren said, looking up at Levi. Levi lowered himself to be more at level with him. Eren leaned up and left a chaste kiss on his cheek. "Thank you!"

Levi smiled, kissing him back. "You're welcome, love." He returned to his seat, crossing his arms and watching Eren fondly. 

 

~

 

Levi waited for awhile for Eren to be done, now all he had to wait through was the drying process. He looked around, trying to find anything that caught his interest, when his eyes landed on the page of the magazine that the person sitting next to him was looking at.

'Ah shit,' Levi thought. His face along with Petra's face were right in the middle of the page.

He angled his face in the other direction so hopefully the stranger wouldn't recognize him. 

"Waiting for someone?" The stranger asked.

'Dammit, a talker,' he internally groaned. "Yeah. You?"

"Yes, I'm just waiting for my daughters to get done. They're going to a party." The woman looked up from the magazine and over to Levi, offering him a smile.

"That's nice." Levi wasn't really one for small talk with people he had no business with.

The woman looked back down at her magazine, continuing to read, then looked back at Levi thoughtfully.

Levi turned away, trying to hide his face with his hand, making it look like he was scratching his head.

The woman took a few more looks at the picture and then at Levi. "... I saw you on tv the other day."

Levi sighed and gave up. "Did you?" He deadpanned.

"Yes, you were on a tattooing documentary. My oldest watches a lot of them."

"Oh yeah?" Levi said disinterestedly.

"Yes, they did a segment on your shop. I can't remember much else after that, though. But I'm sure since you were on the documentary that must mean you're very good."

"... Thank you."

"Of course... so what brings you here?"

Levi wished she'd stop talking. "My boyfriend is getting his nails done."

The stranger looked over and quickly found Eren at the drying station. "Oh."

"Yeah."

"You don't look gay."

Levi sighed and had to keep himself from groaning and slapping his face. In most other situations, he'd explain that he was bisexual and that people don't have to look a certain way to be attracted to a specific group of people. But he was lacking patience, so he opted for sarcasm. "Yeah, that's my bad. I left my rainbow flag in my other pants today."

The stranger just gave him a blank look, not sure if he was joking, then went back to reading her magazine.

No sooner did Eren finish up, pay for his manicure and come stand by Levi. "Ready to go?"

"Yes, absolutely." Levi put a hand around Eren's waist and bolted out of the salon so they could move on with their day.

 

~

 

Levi finished bandaging up another tattoo and sent the client on their way. Dropping himself into his chair, he stretched out his arms, legs and back, cramped up from being in the same position. 

"You look like a cat," Petra said, scrolling through her phone.

"Don't you have a commission you could be working on?" Levi shot back.

"I'm taking a break!" Petra argued. "Let me live." 

Levi rolled his eyes and got to cleaning his station.

"Oh my gosh," Petra gasped. "Did you see the last thing Eren posted on his Instagram?"

"How long ago was it?"

"At noon."

"Then no, I was working."

Petra stood and walked over to Levi, holding out her phone for him to look at once he finished cleaning up. "Check it out."

Levi took her phone and fawned over the pictures. Eren showed off his new nails while simultaneously showing the makeup look he created. He'd done a honeycomb pattern look on his eyes, with touches of yellow and black surrounding the shapes. He heavily highlighted and contoured his face, but it looked elegant rather than overdone. He made his lips a vibrant amber color and applied gloss to the point that they looked like honey and as a final touch, he'd drawn a simple, tiny bee near the lower corner of one eye.

Levi put a hand to his face, overwhelmed with Eren's talent. "Fuck, he's too beautiful. It's not fair."

"Did you see the caption?" Petra asked.

Levi scrolled to read what Eren wrote. The caption simply said 'Made a makeup look inspired by the nails my *honey* picked out for me!' with a bee and heart emoji tacked on the end. 

Petra snickered at the face Levi made. "You alright there, champ?"

"No, he's perfect."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know if you want another chapter up later this evening! I'm not sure how you guys felt, but I swear this week went by so slow, so I might add another to make up for that.
> 
> If you enjoyed this chapter, please leave a comment or kudos! I'm sorry for any mistakes, I don't edit. My tumblrs are dr-s--art, the-witch-daddy and extraeren. Thanks for reading!


	13. Black Work

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi takes Eren to meet his family!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since this week went by so slow, (and one of you said you were cool with a second update) here's a double update!
> 
> IMPORTANT: this is another one of those chapters that is confusing at one point but you have to keep reading and you'll get it! Also, it gets a little graphic, but it's not too bad I don't think. 
> 
> Enjoy! <3

Eren laid across Levi's lap on his couch while he roughly sketched him on a pad of paper, studying the edges of his eyeshadow and the tips of his hair. Eren played with Levi's knee, watching his concentrated face. "How's it comin'?"

"Not nearly as beautiful as you, but it's almost there," Levi answered. "This is just a sketch, I could do a much better job if I took more time."

Eren hummed in acknowledgment. "Why did you want to draw me again?"

"It's one of my hobbies. I love drawing beautiful things." Levi smirked, seeing Eren's face go red. "If only I had a red pencil near, that blush is lovely."

"Stop that." Eren frowned, turning his face away.

Levi gently adjusted his face back. "Don't move, baby. Not done."

Eren sighed and let him continue. "I've got next Wednesday off. We can go out again if you're free."

Levi sighed, shading in Eren's lips. "Unfortunately, I'm not free. I'm going to see my mom and sister for a couple days. I always do just before Isabel starts her school year so that I get to see her before her schedule is taken up."

"That's sweet. Do you stay with your family?"

"Yeah, I sleep in the guest room."

Eren nodded. He hoped he wasn't pushing his luck. "Do you think I could come?"

Levi raised a brow at him. "Do you want to?"

"Yeah, it'd be fun. I could meet your mom, and I could see your sister again. She's hilarious. I don't mean to invite myself, I just thought it could be nice to see your family and I've got a few vacation days to use up. If you don't want me to go—"

"Bullshit, I'd love for you to go," Levi interrupted. "They already hear a lot about you because I brag about you every time they call, and I'm sure my mom would love to meet you. Izzy would probably bug you to teach her makeup tricks though, so there's that."

Eren giggled, being able to picture the scenario perfectly. "I wouldn't have a problem doing that." He imagined what it would be like to meet Levi's family and soon his smile faltered. He didn't want Levi to be embarrassed by him. "Should I tone down on everything when we go? Like wear less or no makeup and maybe skip out on the dresses and heels?"

Levi furrowed his brows at the paper. "Why would you wanna do that?"

Eren shrugged. He had to do it before, he could never be too safe. "I just don't want your family to give you a hard time because of how I look."

Levi frowned, still sketching away. "No, they wouldn't do that. Isabel has seen you and she's already in love with your style. And my mom has seen pictures of you. Even if they didn't know beforehand how you look, they wouldn't give a shit. If they did, then that's their problem."

Eren smiled, happy knowing that how he expressed himself wouldn't cause Levi any problems and that Levi wouldn't put up with people giving him grief over it.

"And... we're done," Levi announced, setting aside his pencil.

Eren sat up next to Levi and looked over at the sketch he made. His eyes widened at the detail and even though it wasn't an exact portrait, he could tell it was him from a mile away and the way he rendered him was so flattering.

"Like I said, it's just a sketch, so one of these days, I'll do a proper portrait of you."

Eren kissed Levi's cheek, leaving a big purple stain from his lipstick. "I love it, Levi! I don't know how you do it." He looked down at the mark he made and smiled sheepishly, making a move to wipe it off. "Heh, sorry about that..."

Levi dodged his hand. "Leave it. It's proof that I've been kissed by an angel." 

Eren couldn't help but break out into laughter. Levi was too perfect in his eyes, and he let it slip. "I love you." The second it left his lips, his heart stopped and he felt so vulnerable. He waited for Levi's reaction, fearful that he'd made a wrong move, but relaxed when Levi smiled and kissed him back.

"I love you, too, Eren." Fireworks were going off in Levi's chest. Now he could say it whenever he wanted, and he was certain that Eren would be sick of hearing those three words by the end on the week, but he didn't care. He could say it openly now. 

Eren rested his head on Levi's shoulder, cuddling into him, too happy for his own good.

 

~

 

Eren checked his makeup in the side mirror one last time as Levi pulled up to his family's house. "Is my eyeliner crooked?"

Levi looked over as soon as he set the car in park. "... No."

Eren sighed in relief. "Oh, thank god."

"Babe, you don't need to be so nervous. My family will love you, I promise." 

Eren unbuckled his seat belt, following Levi out of the car. "I just really want to make a good first impression. I'm not sure what to expect."

Levi opened the trunk and pulled out their suitcases, handing Eren his. "Expect that my little sister will fawn over you and my mom will offer you more food than you can eat. That's it."

Eren eased up and followed Levi to the front porch and stood behind him while he rang the doorbell. Levi smirked at him over his shoulder. "Come on, where's that confidence you always got?"

"Left it at home, I guess," Eren laughed nervously.

Levi kissed his cheek. "You'll be fine, beautiful."

Eren gave him a timid smile to appease him, but as soon as he turned around, the smile was gone and he was filled with worry. He needed so badly for Levi's family to like him.

The door opened and Levi's sister came leaping into Levi's arms, hugging him tightly. "Levi!" She yelled as Levi caught her.

Levi smiled, hugging her back. "Hey, kiddo. Don't do that again, you might break my back."

Isabel dropped back onto the ground. "Sorry, I just got so excited." She turned to Eren and beamed at him, coming in for a much more calm hug. "Eren! Levi won't stop talking about you! How are you?"

Eren felt so delightedly surprised and returned the hug. "I'm doing great, how are you?"

"I'm good, I've been testing out all those makeup tricks you taught me that one time I met you and I think I'm getting better." She took Eren's wrist and started to lead him inside. "Could you help me do winged eyeliner? You're really good at it!"

"Um... sure?" Eren tossed a look over his shoulder at Levi, silently asking if it was okay, and Levi only shrugged.

Levi hauled in both of their suitcases and kicked the door shut. Taking off his shoes, he noticed his mother coming out of the kitchen and coming over to greet him. "Levi, you're finally here!"

Levi stood up straight and brought his mother into a hug. "Hey, mom."

"I thought you were bringing your boyfriend with you. Did he not want to come?"

"No, Izzy got to him. She dragged him to her room to teach her makeup stuff."

Levi's mother rolled her eyes amusedly. "Of course, she did. That's all she cares about lately. Well, make yourself comfortable on the couch, I'll bring out something to eat soon."

Levi nodded as she left and took off his jacket, hanging it on a rack. He sank into the couch and after a moment, he noticed someone coming out from the hallway that he didn't recognize. They also stopped to look at him. Levi narrowed his eyes at the blond boy, trying to figure out who he was. 

"Is Kuchel around?" The boy asked. 

"She's in the kitchen making food," Levi answered. "You one of Isabel's friends?"

"Yeah, I'm her boyfriend. I'm Farlan. Do you know when dinner will be ready? Izzy sent me down to check."

Levi completely ignored his question. So, this was the guy his baby sister was dating? Wonderful. "You're her boyfriend?"

Farlan nodded confusedly. "... Yes?"

Fantastic.

"Oh, you're Levi? Izzy always talks about you," Farlan said excitedly.

'Oh, how cute,' Levi thought to himself. 'He thinks we're on good terms.' He stood up. "Does she?"

"Yeah, she shows me all the tattoos you do. It's nice to finally get to meet you." Farlan walked up to him and stuck out his hand. 

Levi saw this as his opportunity. He took his hand, more tightly than necessary, glad to see the boy wince at his strength. "Nice to meet you too. Izzy told me about you as well."

"O-oh, good," Farlan stuttered, starting to feel apprehensive.

"Yeah, and as her big brother, it's my job to give you a fair warning." Levi wouldn't let go of Farlan's hand. Not until his message sank in. "If you ever hurt her in any way, expect to be dead in a ditch within a week."

All the color drained from Farlan's face. "D-Do you not like me for some reason?"

"Oh, of course not. I don't even know you, I have no reason to dislike you. This is just my way of saying, if you know what's good for you, don't give me a reason to dislike you."

"U-Understood, sir." Farlan gulped.

Levi smiled and released his hand. "Good. Go tell Isabel that snacks will be ready soon."

Farlan nodded and hastily retreated back to Isabel's room. 

 

~

 

That night, Eren and Levi settled into bed in the guest room. Eren meeting Levi's mother, Kuchel, went extremely well. She was so interested in Eren's job and gave endless complements to his style. "I told you my family would love you," Levi said, throwing off his shirt. "You had nothing to worry about."

Eren slid on his nightgown, sitting in the edge of the bed. "You were right. But is there something going on between you and Farlan? It was like you were giving him the death stare all through dinner."

Levi shrugged. "I don't know what you're talking about." He might've acted a little too happy when Farlan left for the night. He laid under the sheets and waited for Eren to do the same, but he never did. "You alright?"

"I'm trying to decide if I should take my makeup off or not. I don't want to be a bad guest and get makeup on the pillows or sheets."

"Alright, then take it off."

Eren looked at Levi anxiously. "... I don't know, I don't want you to see how I look without makeup."

"Eren, I've already seen you without makeup before."

"I know, but... that doesn't mean I'm okay with you seeing me like that again. I hate how I look without makeup."

Levi looked at him sadly. "Babe, you're gorgeous with or without it. Why do you hate how you look?"

"It's obvious. I've got red patches on my cheeks, my skin tone isn't even, my eyebrows are patchy in the center, my eyelashes look practically nonexistent... I look like a mess."

Levi turned into his side and reached out to grab Eren's hand. "Baby doll, you have such a natural beauty, it's impossible for you to look bad. Trust me."

Eren shivered at the pet name, sighing in defeat. He moved to the desk at the other end of the room and wiped off his makeup. Levi watched, glad that he was making slight progress with being comfortable around him in no makeup. Once he finished up with putting on some moisturizer he'd packed, Eren came back, hiding his face, shut off the bedside lamp which in turn left them in darkness, and crawled into bed, tucking his face into Levi's chest.

Levi sighed, stroking Eren's hair. "I mean it when I say I think you're beautiful no matter what, do you understand, love?"

Eren only tilted his head down as if he was trying to hide his face even more. 

Levi figured he couldn't take all his insecurities away in one night. Even though he wished he could, he dropped the subject. He'd prove to Eren that he was stunning. So, he settled for giving him a kiss on the top of his head. "Goodnight baby, I love you."

Eren melted into Levi's touch. "I love you, too."

 

~

 

Tears bubbled up and Eren's lips started to tremble as he looked towards the ground. His boyfriend came up to him, holding his hands in his and wiping stray tears away. "Honey, please don't cry. You know I love you."

"I-It doesn't feel like it," Eren blubbered. 

"But I do! I promise I do!"

Eren hiccuped. "Th-then why did you tell them you don't know me?"

His boyfriend shrunk back, looking guilty. "Honey... I'm not out yet. If my parents knew, I'd get disowned. You know that. If people knew, I don't know how they'd react! You know I have to have my parent's support at least until I graduate my senior year of college, then I can be out because I can support myself after that. Baby that's only a year away. We'll both be graduated and can tell people then."

Eren started to cry harder. "B-But you don't have to act like... like I'm a complete stranger to you. You coulda told them w-we're friends... or roommates... or something! I don't care!"

His boyfriend kissed him on the cheek. "You know they could get suspicious. Please don't be upset with me, Eren, baby. I want to be with you, we just... can't tell anyone."

Eren looked up at him, face soaked. "Are you... are you embarrassed by me?"

His boyfriend sighed.

Eren was back in his own dorm, with his new boyfriend backing him against the wall. "I told you we weren't open yet! You can't even get that right!"

"You said I could let my friends know about us!" Eren reasoned.

"I said you could let 'a' friend know about us! Not your whole damn clique! Do you know how bad this'll look if word gets out? Do you know how people will treat me if they knew we were dating? God, you're so stupid." He paced back in forth. 

Eren felt enraged. He was so tired of the same treatment over and over. So, for the first time, he talked back, though quietly. "I'm... I'm not stupid," he whispered.

His boyfriend hadn't heard what he said, only that he had said something. "What did you say?" He loomed over him.

Eren's will to defend himself disappeared with the fear of repercussions. He shook his head, his whole body trembling. "I... I-I didn't say any—"

"What did you say?!" The man grabbed a fistful of Eren's hair, yanking him up.

"Ow, ow! Fuck- stop! It hurts—"

"Tell me what you said!"

"I said I'm not stupid!"

His boyfriend released him, unimpressed with what he'd chosen to say. "You are stupid," he spat. "Because if people found out, they'd take one look at you and see how low I sank. You know how nice I'm being by going out with you? You don't, because you're an idiot. No other guy is ever going to want you."

Eren felt angry tears welling up. He clenched his teeth, glaring up at him. "Get out of my dorm."

"That's cute, you think you'll be the one pushing me to go?" Eren heard the creak of the door opening, his roommate walking in, coming back from classes. But his boyfriend hadn't noticed. "I'm the one throwing you away, you're not good enough to be the one to end this!" He shoved Eren will all his force, knocking him off his feet so that his head and back hit the wall.

Eren slid down until he reached the ground, holding his head where it'd been slammed against the hard wall, crying.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" His roommate screamed. "Don't you ever do that to him!"

"Shut the hell up, this doesn't concern you."

"Get the fuck out of my dorm before I call the fucking cops," Eren's roommate threatened.

That seemed to do the trick. Eren's now ex boyfriend stormed out without another word. His roommate made sure she locked the door so he couldn't come back in and ran to Eren's side. "What happened? Are you okay?" 

Eren shook his head, unable to form words through his blubbering.

"Do you need to go to the infirmary?"

"N-No," Eren whined. 

"I hope it's over between you two, because you don't deserve to be treated this way," his roommate said, tears gathering in her eyes as well. She pulled him into a hug as he sobbed. "Does your back hurt?"

"... No." There were things that hurt more at the moment.

"If you need to file a restraining order on him or something, I'll help you with that. Come on, try to stand. I'll get you to your bed and make you dinner."

Eren hoped she could understand him through his choked sobs. "Th-Thank you, Sasha."

Eren panted in the bed of his... not boyfriend. 

"Shit, that was good!" The man said. "So... how much do I owe ya?" He asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

Eren knitted his brows together. "... What?"

"It was a good round, very satisfying. How much do I owe you for your time?"

Eren frowned at him. "I'm not a prostitute."

"Coulda fooled me, you definitely fuck like one," he laughed. Eren didn't laugh. "Fuck, it was a joke."

'It wasn't funny,' Eren thought. He sighed agitatedly, but he figured he could make the best of the situation. He rolled over, throwing an arm over the other man.

"Woah, hold up." The man dodged his arm. "What are you doing there?"

"... Cuddling?" Eren thought it was obvious.

"Nah, we're not doing that. That's for couples and we agreed no strings attached, right?"

"Oh... right." Eren didn't see how that also meant they couldn't cuddle. 

"Don't worry about it, you just need to learn to not be so emotional," the man reasoned. "You gotta be like me. Fucking with no feelings. You get the most outta life that way, all pleasure, no headaches."

'I don't want to be anything like you,' Eren thought. 

"Besides, I bet I'm not the only guy you're fuckin' on the side."

Eren casted his gaze down.

"I'm right, aren't I? Nothin' wrong with it, I'm seeing other people too. Not like I give a shit about the other guys you sleep with, we're not dating. We can do whatever we want, relationships are a waste of time if you ask me."

Eren had already resigned himself. This was the best he would get.

Eren opened his eyes to find Levi staring at him with worry. His shoulder was gently being shook and it hit him that he was only dreaming again. He was okay. His pain was in the past.

"Baby, what's wrong?" Levi whispered.

"Hm?"

"You're crying."

Eren raised a hand to his face and found that he was indeed crying. "Oh... it's nothing. I just had a nightmare."

Levi held him close, rubbing soothing circles into his back. "Poor thing. Everything's okay now. I love you. You're okay, dove."

Eren could tell by how groggy Levi sounded that he was probably still half asleep, which made him laugh. His crying must've woken him up. "I love you, too." The movement on his back stopped and he guessed that Levi fell back asleep. He didn't mind, he couldn't even remember what his dream was about. Although he had several good guesses. But he didn't care anymore. It was over. He was safe.

 

~

 

That morning, Levi prided himself on being the first to wake, because that meant he could see Eren's serene sleeping face in perfect lighting. It wasn't often that Levi woke up first, and when he did, it was to get Eren out of a nightmare, but for the first time, he seemed to be at peace and Levi couldn't stop staring.

Levi used the back of his hand to lightly caress the side of Eren's face and move some strand of hair out of his eyes. He left the most gentle touches here and there, admiring every part of him. He would've taken pictures if his phone wasn't on the other side of the room.

Eren stirred and his eyes fluttered open. His gaze focused on Levi and he smiled, letting his eyes fall shut again as he started to stretch. 

"Good morning, dove." Levi kissed his lover's forehead.

Eren grinned even wider. "Stop."

"Stop what?"

"Calling me cute names."

Levi placed more kisses all over his face. "Why? You're my lovely dove."

"Stop it," Eren giggled, tiredly trying to get away, but loving the attention too much to put up a real fight.

Levi relented, but kept Eren in his arms. "We should probably get up and get some breakfast. I let you sleep in a little."

Eren properly looked around. "Mm, I forgot we're at your mom's house." He stretched out his arms, taking in a deep breath and the realization hit him. He jumped out of Levi's arms, throwing the blanket off and onto his boyfriend clumsily.

Levi pulled away the blanket and saw his boyfriend digging through his makeup bag and pulling out what he needed before sitting himself in front of the mirror to get started. Levi rolled his eyes, it would take a lot of work to help him be comfortable with a bare face in his presence.

 

~

 

Eren helped Isabel with her makeup before the family went out for lunch. Isabel wanted to try out new techniques before they left and thought that this was the best time to learn.

"Then when you add the lipgloss, make sure it's sheer, so that way it doesn't gather or get too slippery later on."

Isabel did as told. "Can you teach me later how to make it so that it doesn't come off when something touches it?"

"You'd probably need a matte lipstick for that. With gloss it's kinda inevitable that it'll rub off. Why, are you worried for when you have to eat?"

"No, I got a boyfriend. I don't want it to come off when I kiss him."

Eren tried to hold back a laugh. "Oh, of course."

"Don't give me that look." Isabel frowned at him through the mirror. "You worry about the same thing with Levi, don't you?"

"Not really, he takes it like a man and lets be smudge my lipstick all over his face."

"Okay, okay! I don't want the image!"

Eren laughed. "You brought it up! Besides, you shouldn't be getting into a lot of kissing that messes up your makeup. You're too young."

"You were my age once, I'm sure you know what it's like. You probably did a lot of kissing back then."

"Oh sweetie, with all the boys I had chasing me, I didn't even bother wearing lipstick." Eren paused with his makeup, thinking of how upset Levi could be if he taught his little sister tips for getting boys, despite the fact that she was in a relationship. "Actually... I'm gonna show you a cool trick to do with your lipstick. It looks amazing, but it's really high maintenance. So, you can't mess with it, but it's worth it, I promise."

"Okay!"

Levi snickered to himself, having been standing outside his sister's room, listening in as Eren gave her makeup lessons. He walked away and waited with his mother in the living room.

"What's taking them so long?" Kuchel asked.

"Oh, you know," Levi said, sitting down on a chair. "Doing their makeup, talkin' about boys."

"They'll be in there for awhile then," Kuchel giggled.

"Yep."

Kuchel looked at the clock then at Levi. "I know I probably already told you this at some point, but I really like him. He's so sweet, and he's much more polite than that girl you brought home last time. She didn't even wipe her shoes, let alone take them off."

Levi smiled to himself. "Yeah, he's pretty perfect."

"I see he makes you really happy too. You can't stop smiling when he's in the room."

"Have you met him?" Levi said. "He's just..." He ran a hand through his hair, at a loss of words. "God, he's amazing, I can't help smiling when I see him."

"Good, I'm glad to see you with someone like that." Kuchel turned her attention to the hallway when Eren and Isabel came out. "Everybody ready to go?"

Receiving affirmative responses everyone, they headed out the door. Kuchel lagged behind and once she saw the opportunity, she grabbed Eren's arm and pulled him back, frightening him in the process.

"Wha—?"

"Never let my son go," she begged.

Eren stared back incredulously. "Huh?"

"Levi's got a habit of picking awful partners, you're as good as it gets. Don't leave him."

"Oh... alright. I didn't plan on it, but okay."

A sweet smile returned to Kuchel's features. "Great, welcome to the family!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's all for today!
> 
> If you liked this, please leave a comment or kudos! I'm sorry for any errors. My tumblrs are dr-s--art, the-witch-daddy and extraeren. Thanks for reading! ^-^


	14. Black and Grey Horror

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren gets his first tattoo and has a creative way of paying Levi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Friday! College is rough so far, but I'm having fun and I'm still writing. 
> 
> If you don't understand the first part, and you've forgotten the story of how Levi knows the person in this chapter and why it's awkward, go back and read the chapter of Eren and Levi's first date. (It's in chapter 5. It was awhile ago so I get it if some of you have forgotten)
> 
> Also this chapter gets kinky.
> 
> Sorry for any errors, enjoy! <3

"What do you got next?" Levi asked Petra while he cleaned everything off.

"A Halloween tattoo, surprise, surprise. I'm going to being doing a wolf man on my client's... thigh, I think they said?"

Levi raised a brow at her lack of enthusiasm. "Got a problem with your tattoo?"

Petra sighed, putting a hand on her hip. "Kinda, I know Halloween is comin' around, and I've got nothing against the holiday, but all we get this month is gory stuff, old monsters and pumpkins."

"That's a lie, yesterday I tattooed a coffin with bats."

"My point exactly." Petra rolled her eyes, setting up her station. 

Petra's client arrived right on time and immediately went back to meet up with her. "Holly?" She greeted her.

"That's me."

Levi turned at the name and widened his eyes at the familiar face. Petra and her client talked out the details of the tattoo for a few minutes and after they'd finished, the client sat down and spaced out. Until they locked eyes with Levi. 

"Holly?"

"Levi?"

Petra looked up from the stencil she was preparing. "... You two friends?"

Levi crossed his arms, shifting his weight to his other foot. "Well... Holly here was my first date."

Petra tried not to burst out into laughter, knowing the whole history between the two. "Oh, small world."

Holly's face went beet red. "Yeah, sure is." She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, staring at Levi and suddenly feeling a world of regret for leaving him. "So, um, how've you been? You look good." 

Levi smirked. "I'm good, how're you?"

Holly smiled bashfully, getting her hopes up. "Oh, you know, I've been well."

"Yeah? Good, how's your brother?"

And then all the color left her face and she turned in her chair back to face Petra, who was barely keeping it together. "He's good too," she whispered.

Levi mentally patted himself on the back and turned back, sitting himself down and pulling out his phone. His attention wasn't held by the device very long when he heard a light tapping. He looked up and saw Eren knocking on the wall, smiling at him, wearing a little pink dress and a pair of shoes he'd bought for him. 

"Do you take walk-ins?" Eren asked, grinning mischievously.

"Just for you, baby doll," Levi purred, standing up to see his boyfriend.

"That's actually a lie," Petra said. "We accepts walk-ins for anyone, not just you." She laughed and relented at Levi's sour look. "Also, hi Eren."

"Hi, Petra!" Eren sent her a little wave.

Levi tugged Eren's hand, bringing him over to his station. "So, what brings you here, gorgeous?"

"I'm looking to get a tattoo, today."

Levi raised a brow. "Oh, really?"

Holly whispered to Petra, "Does he flirt with all his customers?"

Petra chuckled. "That's his boyfriend."

Holly widened her eyes and inspected Eren, looking him up and down to see who she'd lost Levi to. She nodded to herself and figured he was too much competition to bother trying to win Levi back. 

"Finally decided on what you want?" Levi inquired, guiding Eren to a chair.

Eren nodded pridefully. "I sure did. I did my research and I found a spot that's not too painful and picture that I really love."

Levi nodded, impressed that he finally came to a decision after being so indecisive. "Nice. Now, not only as your boyfriend, but as your tattoo artist, I have to ask. You're absolutely sure you want this, right? Once I start, that's that. It's there forever."

"I know, I really want this tattoo. I'm one hundred percent sure."

"Alright then, tell me what you want, sweetheart."

Eren dug through his purse and pulled out a picture he'd printed and gave it to Levi. He'd chosen a semi-realistic butterfly, with every color of the rainbow covering every inch of it. "I want in on my right upper forearm."

Levi nodded, examining the image. "Very nice... Petra! He's getting a butterfly!"

Petra groaned exaggeratedly. "Can we switch?!"

Eren stared between them, confused.

"She's sick of doing Halloween tattoos," Levi explained.

 

~

 

Levi finally finished making the stencil, prepping Eren's arm, the ink, and his tattoo machine. Levi laid down the stencil and had Eren check it a couple times too many. He asked him an umpteen amount of questions, if he'd eaten plenty, if he was certain about the placing, if he had a tendency to faint, if he was hydrated, everything he would've asked anyone else. "You're absolutely sure you want this? It's not gonna cause any problems for you at work?"

Eren shook his head. "No, Annie has tattoos. And this will be hidden most of the time anyways."

Levi held his tattoo machine up to his arm. "It's a commitment."

Eren rolled his eyes, more amused than annoyed over how cautious Levi was with him. "Yes, I know."

"Promise to take good care of it?"

"Only if you help me," Eren teased.

"Of course I will, baby. You know it'll hurt, right?"

"Yes- wait, am I gonna scream?"

Levi snorted. "No, it's not that bad. You'll be fine. I just want to apologize in advance for inflicting pain on you. I don't want you to hate me. I love you."

"Oh my god, you mushy sap, just tattoo the poor guy!" Petra shouted from across the room. 

"He needs to know what he's getting into!" Levi argued.

Eren held a hand to his mouth to hide his laughter.

"Kiss for good luck?" Levi prompted.

"You need good luck?" Eren asked, but kissed him anyway.

"No, I just wanted a kiss." Levi smirked with pride, hearing Eren's chuckle. He stepped on his pedal a couple times to test his machine, bringing it to life with a loud buzz. He lowered the needle to his boyfriend's skin. "No turning back. Stay still, beautiful."

Eren bit his lip, staring intensely at the needle as it made contact and just barely winced at the pain.

"How's that feel?" Levi asked without looking up.

"Not too bad."

"Good."

Hanji strolled in, taking as seat beside the two, looking in on the progress. "Wow, baby's first tattoo. I always knew this day would come. How ya feelin'?"

"Pretty good," Eren said.

"Nice. You know this means you're in a biker gang now, right?"

Eren giggled. "Oh yeah, the infamous butterfly biker gang. So intimidating."

"Hey, I'm serious! People are gonna look at you differently. You can tell them you got this done in prison and you're not afraid to go back."

Eren couldn't hold in his burst of laughter.

"Leave him alone," Levi grumbled. "And stop making him laugh, I don't wanna fuck this up."

"Fine, fine." Hanji sat back, putting their hands behind their head to relax and watch Eren get his first tattoo.

Eren tried not to focus on the pain, so he looked around the room to distract himself. He glanced at Hanji's arms, seeing how they were fully sleeved in ink as well. "I see you starin'," they joked, smirking. "Tattoos are addictive, after this one, you're gonna want a million more. This could be you one day," they said, gesturing to their arms.

Eren snickered. "I only want a few here and there."

"That's what they all say," Levi murmured.

 

~

 

Hanji left early on in the tattooing process. Eren watched admiringly as Levi worked away. He couldn't help but love the way Levi got so into his work and focused in on every detail. And he found it so endearing when Levi would ask if he needed a break, if he needed water, how he was holding up. Deep down, he knew Levi did that for all his clients but he didn't know that Levi asked more frequently just for him. 

Levi found Eren to be too precious to give him the same, basic treatment. He felt so guilty when he looked up and saw Eren squinting or biting his tongue ever so slightly to deal with the pain. It wasn't so bad at first, but after all the time that passed with no letting up and with Levi going over the same spots with different colors, it was a bit harder to endure.

"I'm sorry, baby."

"Stop saying you're sorry!" Eren laughed. "I knew this was gonna hurt."

"I know, but still." Levi finished up the last little touch. "And that's it, I'm done torturing you." He wiped down Eren's arm and let him go look in the mirror. "You did so good. You sat really well for your first time."

"The worst part's over," Eren mumbled to himself. 

"Oh, that's cute," Petra chimed in, now having been done with her client for quite some time. "He thinks that was the worst part. So innocent, so pure."

"... That wasn't the worst part?"

Levi stepped up with Eren, looking guilty. "Yeah, um... it's actually right after the tattoo is finished that hurts the most. Don't bump it on anything."

Eren gulped and nodded, looking at the mirror. After seeing the finished piece, his fear went away and he could only beam at his reflection, bouncing on the balls of his feet in excitement. "Levi, it's perfect! It's so pretty!"

Levi felt his heart skip a beat upon seeing and hearing that reaction. "You like it?"

"Like it? I love it! Baby, it's gorgeous." Eren pulled Levi into a hug. Being extra careful of his arm. "Thank you so much! I couldn't have asked for a better tattoo. How much do I owe you?"

Levi stepped back, pretending to think long and hard about his answer. "Approximately ten kisses."

Eren rolled his eyes. "I'm serious."

"As am I."

"I can't let you give me such a perfect piece of art for free."

"I told you you'd be paying me back in kisses, that's not free, you goose."

Eren pouted. "Real payment."

"Okay, fine," Levi relented. "... Twenty kisses."

Eren sighed. "Fine. But..." He inched closer to whisper so that Petra wouldn't hear. "I've got a surprise for you for the next time you spend the night, so that can be your payment."

Levi raised his brows. "Oh, really?"

Eren nodded. "Mhm."

"Well, I look forward to it." An understatement. "Now let's get you wrapped up. I got a client coming in in twenty minutes."

 

~

 

Levi unwrapped Eren's arm in his bathroom, holding it under the light to see how it was doing. "Nice and gunky, just as expected. I'm gonna show you how to wash this."

Eren nodded, watching and wincing as Levi pulled his arm into the gentle stream of water over the sink. "You were right, this does hurt more than actually getting the tattoo."

"It'll be sore for a few days, but it won't be as bad as it is now after tonight." Levi poured disinfecting soap over the freshly inked skin and, as carefully as he could, smoothed it over the area to keep everything clean. "Having any regrets?"

"Nope. I love it so much. You should see all the comments on my Instagram after I posted the picture," Eren laughed.

"Oh, yeah?" Levi hummed back, focused on taking care of his boyfriend's arm first and foremost.

"Yeah. They're all saying how beautiful it is, but over half of them are talking about us."

"All good things I hope."

Eren shrugged. "Mostly. Some people are just jealous though." He let his arm go under the faucet again, biting his tongue to get through the pain. Levi gently patted his arm dry, added healing ointment and wrapped his arm back up again. 

"All set. So, when I'm not around, you can take care of this by yourself like a big boy?"

"Yes." Eren kissed his cheek. "Thank you for helping me. Now, let's work out your payment..." He took Levi's hand and led him back to the bedroom where he left his purse. He sat Levi down at the bed, bringing his bag and digging through it. "You remember that one time you spent the night at my apartment and in the morning my sister told us she heard us?"

"How could I forget?" Levi scoffed.

"Well, I was thinking about her suggestion, and about what you said... and while I was looking through one of my favorite stores, I found this..." Eren pulled out a ball gag from his purse, dangling it between his fingers. "Can I still take you up on that offer?"

Levi felt his face heat up considerably while his pants began to feel tight. "Y-You mean... you're really okay with it?" He kept eyeing the toy almost guiltily, as if he was the one who bought it and got caught having those dirty thoughts about Eren. He didn't want him to feel pressured to do something he had no interest in.

"Yes, I've been wanting to experiment with you, too. If that's something you're up for, of course." Eren inched closer, getting into Levi's space and making him feel vulnerable in the best kind of way.

Levi definitely had no problems with trying new things with Eren. "Fuck, I'd love to."

"Perfect," Eren purred. "And I knew I'd be getting a tattoo and I didn't want it to get in the way. Plus, I thought that just having a gag would be a little too... tame." He reached back in his purse and pulled out a pair of handcuffs. 

This man was going to be the death of Levi.

"What do you think? You wanna try it out tonight?"

Levi would be a fool to refuse. 

 

~

 

They undressed until Eren was only left wearing a bra and panties, and Levi was left in his boxers. Everything was set out on the nightstand for convenience and they began to discuss rules.

"So, I initially thought we should have a safe word, but since you'll have a gag in your mouth, there's no point in that," Levi explained. "How about you knock on the wall three times if you wanna stop or if you need to tell me something?"

"I can do that." Eren ran a hand up Levi's thigh. "You ready?"

Levi was gonna regret tying Eren up so that he couldn't keep touching him like that. "Yeah, I'm ready. Let's get you set up so you're comfortable." He helped his lover lay down in a position that wasn't too stiff and raised his hands above his head. "Do you want to take your bra off before I lock you in or do you want to keep it on?"

"I'll keep it on."

"Okay, you're comfortable? Do you need me to fix the pillow for you?" Levi stroked Eren's cheek, wanting to make sure everything was perfect for him. 

Eren shook his head, smiling. "No, I'm all set."

Levi nodded and closed the cuffs around Eren's hands, looping the chain around one of the bars on the headboard and being careful about his fresh tattoo. "The key is right on the nightstand. And you remember the trick to get out of these?"

"Yes, Levi," Eren laughed. "I remember. You don't need to triple check every little thing, it's okay."

"I do need to triple check. I want to do this right and make sure you know you're safe and that you're in good hands." Levi gave him a deep, loving kiss, as if to punctuate his words. He pulled back, mere centimeters away from his face, staring into those eyes that he so often became lost in. "I'm not gonna like not being able to kiss you when the gag is in."

"You can kiss other parts of me," Eren whispered.

Levi pecked his lips one last time. "It's not the same." He picked up the gag stared down at the other. "Are you ready, angel?"

Eren nodded. "I love you, Levi."

"I love you too, Eren." Levi secured the straps of the gag, checking to see if it was too tight. "Does it hurt?"

Eren shook his head.

Levi relaxed and placed a kiss on his cheek. And then another. And one more on his jaw. He kissed lower and lower, reaching one hand down, leaving light touches and slipping his fingers under the lace of Eren's panties. In such a compromising position, Levi made sure his first priority was to spoil Eren and use the situation to give him pleasure as opposed to taking advantage of his lover's restriction for himself.

Eren moaned at Levi's touches, although every sound he let out was muffled. That was one more thing Levi didn't like about the gag. He couldn't clearly hear his boyfriend's beautiful voice.

Levi cupped Eren and lightly bit at his neck, leaving marks to claim him. Though he couldn't hear the beautiful noises he was so used to, he treasured every involuntary movement. Every roll of the hips into his hand, every tensing of the muscles. Anything that silently told him he was doing a good job. 

Levi sat back to look at Eren and his face immediately reddened a few shades darker. The sight was so erotic, he couldn't keep himself together. 

Levi took off Eren's panties and started prepping him the same way he always did, savoring every muffled whimper, keeping an eye on Eren's facial expressions to be certain he wasn't hurting him. "Baby, you're so beautiful," Levi praised him. "You're doing so good."

Eren watched Levi take off his last article of clothing, rolling on a condom and gliding lube onto his length. The anticipation was killing him. He'd been handcuffed before in previous relationships, but the gag was new and doing something unfamiliar with Levi felt so invigorating. He loved being at Levi's mercy, having full trust that he would take care of him.

"Are you ready, love?" 

Eren nodded, he needed Levi in him so bad.

Levi bent down to kiss Eren's forehead, holding his hips as he lined himself up and pushed in slower than he normally would've. Everything he did was so careful, knowing Eren couldn't voice his needs if he had something to say.

Eren wished Levi would go faster, but he wasn't exactly in the position to tell him to. He wasn't in the position to tell them anything. 

Levi bit his lip, stilling and watching for Eren to give any signs of distress as he bottomed out, but he gave none. Eren only looked to be in pure ecstasy with him inside. His head was thrown back, chest rose and fell steadily, and his eyes closed as he let himself take in Levi.

Levi huffed out heavy breaths, feeling sweat gather around his face and chest. "Fuck... babe, you feel so good. You feeling alright?"

Eren moaned, nodding for what felt like the millionth time. He needed Levi to do something, anything.

"I'm gonna move now, okay?" When Eren made no signs of complaint, Levi went ahead and broke into a slow rhythm. He had to mentally remind himself to focus on how Eren felt, scared he'd hurt him. But luckily, they both visibly enjoyed themselves. "Shit... you're so tight. Fuck, I love you so much."

Levi experimented with speeds, always checking in on Eren's body language to find what he liked and didn't like until he hit the perfect angle, thrusting just hard enough to fit both their likings.

Eren raised his hips to meet Levi's thrusts, wrapping his legs around his waist, uncaring of the excess drool escaping past the gag. His main regret from choosing to wear the gag was that he couldn't tell Levi how amazing he felt. He couldn't tell him what he wanted or let him know when he did something he really loved. 

They kept at it with Levi leaving kisses anywhere and everywhere he possibly could, whispering to Eren how perfect he was amongst other praises. Steadily, they both reached their climax together, Levi emptying himself into the condom while he stroked Eren, helping him to completion.

Levi couldn't take it anymore. As soon as he caught his breath, he removed the gag from Eren's mouth and tossed it aside, bringing him into a kiss. He missed the taste of Eren's tongue, the feel of his lips, and now he could claim them again.

Once they parted, Eren smirked up at Levi. "Fuck, that was good."

 

~

 

Levi released Eren from the cuffs, cleaned him up, massaged his jaw, rubbed lotion into his wrists and did everything he could think of to make sure he was well taken care of. After they both were satisfied, they cuddled together, ready for bed.

"I really liked that," Eren began, wrapped in Levi's strong arms. "Didn't like how I couldn't tell you what I liked though."

Levi held him tighter. "I wanted to kiss you the whole time. But I did enjoy it."

Eren giggled into Levi's chest. "You were adorable, always checking up on me. And your blush is so precious, I think that's my favorite part whenever we get intimate."

Levi frowned, not fond of Eren's choice of wording. "I don't blush. And I'm not 'adorable.'"

"You do blush! You get so red and I love it! It's cute." Eren kissed Levi's collar bone, chuckling at how defensive he was getting. 

"No, you're cute. I'm... I'm... not cute." Levi didn't know how to finish that sentence.

"Babe, your masculinity is so fragile. Don't worry, you're cute but you're still my big tough guy." Eren tucked his head under Levi's chin, smiling and feeling like the luckiest guy in the world.

"Damn straight I am," Levi huffed. 

"Mhm. You're strong, handsome, and all muscular... but you're cute during sex."

"Let's change the subject."

Eren chuckled and dropped the topic to make Levi happy. They didn't talk for long, Levi was too tired and drifted into sleep in the middle of a conversation. Eren didn't mind too much. The only problem for him was that he wasn't tired, not even a little drowsy. 

He stayed awake for a couple hours, wondering why he couldn't sleep. In the back of his mind, he couldn't stop thinking of the night he had with Levi. He tossed and turned, gently so that he wouldn't bump his tattoo or wake Levi. Nothing could put his mind at ease so he could sleep.

Now, facing away from Levi, he tried to clear his head so he could get some rest, but now sitting at the forefront of his thoughts was the intercourse he had with Levi. And all he could focus on was that he couldn't tell Levi a thing. He couldn't tell him his wants or how much he was enjoying himself or that he loved him. He couldn't understand why it was stuck in his mind, but little by little it started to bother him.

After a half hour of thinking strictly about his inability to convey his thoughts to Levi (and not quite understanding why it was getting to him), his lip started to tremble and his eyes became watery. He sniffled and did what he could to hold back his tears, afraid to disturb his sleeping lover, but it was of no use.

He started to cry and wiped away at his eyes, uncaring if he smudged his makeup. He felt so frustrated with himself, at a complete loss of why he was so upset over something so pointless, and he only cried harder as time passed.

All of the sudden, the arms around him tightened and he heard a rough, raspy voice try to sooth him. "Shhh, 's only a dream..." A hand came up to haphazardly stroke his hair.

Eren realized Levi was trying to comfort him, assuming he was having another nightmare. He must've still been mostly asleep as his words came out slurred, his motor skills were awful and his eyes were still closed. "S'okay, baby... s'okay..."

Eren turned to face into Levi, crying against his chest. Levi became slightly more aware after feeling the wetness of Eren's tears on his skin. "Eren...? You're okay... 'M here."

"Levi?" Eren sniffled. "I don't want to wear the gag anymore."

Levi's eyes just barely opened. "Okay... you don't gotta wear it, baby." He hugged Eren closer. "Love you s'much."

Eren stared up at his groggy boyfriend, with his disheveled hair and slitted eyes. Levi didn't argue with him, he let him make the decision to no longer use the gag. It was that simple, there was no fight, there were no consequences like he expected for a reason he couldn't explain.

Eren calmed down, now breathing slowly and blinking back the last of his tears. "I love you too." 

"G'night, beautiful..." And with that, Levi was sound asleep again. 

Eren fell just a little bit more in love with Levi after that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope the smut wasn't horrible! (I think it's funny I uploaded this the day I'm working at a tattoo convention lmao)
> 
> If you liked this please leave a comment or kudos! My tumblrs are dr-s--art, the-witch-daddy, and extraeren. Thanks for reading!!! <3


	15. American Traditional

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren's insecurities resurface and he gets a bad case of jealousy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ayyyy early update! So I'm actually working at a tattoo convention right now (I'm on break) and I thought an update would be appropriate at this time. I was initially planning on giving a bonus update tomorrow but it's ya boi's birthday tomorrow so I'll be busy celebrating with my friendos.
> 
> This chapter is a teeny bit angsty, sorry! (But it ends okay!)
> 
> Enjoy!

"Did you have a good thanksgiving?" Eren asked, his beautiful voice all staticky through the video chat.

"As good as it can get when my baby sister invited over her boyfriend," Levi scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Why was he even available? Is he so horrible that his own family didn't want him during the holiday?"

Eren couldn't help but laugh. "Levi, give the guy a chance. What's so bad about him?"

"I don't know... I just get a weird feeling about him." Levi crossed his arms like a petty child. "What about you, kitten? How was dinner with your family?"

"It was great! My car was giving me troubles on the way down, but we got there and back fine. And Mikasa didn't have to work for once, so it was nice to have the whole family together this year. Mom and dad were really happy to have us both there, and my dad didn't hate my tattoo like I thought he would. My mom loved it, of course, but she's already seen it in pictures."

"Did I do such a bad job that you thought your dad was gonna hate it?" Levi teased, leaning his elbows on the desk where his laptop was propped up. 

"No!" Eren rushed to say. "No, you did amazing!"

"I'm just messing with you, babe. But why did you think he was gonna hate it?"

Eren dropped his head tiredly on his arms, laying on his bed on his stomach, sighing. "He's never really liked tattoos. He gets really disappointed whenever Mikasa gets a new one, sometimes he compliments them out of obligation, sometimes he doesn't say anything. But he said my tattoo suits me! So, that's good."

"Good. And it does suit you, you picked out a good image."

Eren smiled bashfully. Levi couldn't get enough of that smile. "Well... you're the one who did the tattoo, so you deserve more praise than me."

"Not true..." Levi took some time just to admire his boyfriend. It wasn't the same since his image was blurred by the bad connection. 

"Hey," Eren purred. "You're alone, right?"

Levi raised a brow, suspicious. "... Yes. Why?"

"Well, I just got home right before I called you..." Eren bit his lip, smirking suggestively. "It's been a tiring day for us both. What do you think? Wanna have a little fun?"

Levi snorted. "I'm gonna give a couple reasons why my answer is no. One, we're literally gonna see each other in a couple days, it's not like I went on a long trip away. Two, we saw each other yesterday. And three, I'm not doing anything in a house that my baby sister is in, not to mention my mother."

"Come on," Eren pouted. "It's not like I'm there with you, they won't walk in on anything."

"You might not be here, but I'm not gonna have them walk in on me or hear me jacking off with you moaning on the screen."

"Lock your door!" Eren laughed.

"They can still hear through the door!"

Eren sighed. "Fine. I guess the wait will make it all the better when you're actually here."

"Exactly..." Levi's thought process wandered off to when he'd actually be with Eren intimately again and he couldn't wait. But that train of thought led him to thinking of after it was all over and it reminded him of an earlier conversation he had. "Oh yeah, that reminds me. I was talking with Izzy before dinner and somehow we got on the subject of makeup and she said how it's not good for you to wear your makeup to bed. That true?"

Eren's smile died down and he averted his gaze. "... Yeah."

"You don't wear it to bed every night, do you?"

"No! No, definitely not."

"So, only when you're with me?"

Eren looked guilty. "I know my makeup looks messy after I slept in it, but it's better than when I don't wear anything at all."

Levi sighed. He didn't like it when his boyfriend was so self conscious over this. "Baby, I don't want you wearing it to bed at all if that's not good for you."

"I only ever do it with you," Eren promised.

"That's still a lot. Can you please take your makeup off before you go to sleep with me?" Levi just wanted what was best for him.

"... I don't know."

"Please, angel?"

"... Only after the lights are off."

Levi sighed in frustration. He wanted Eren to be as confident around him without makeup as when he had it on. But at least this was improvement. "If that makes you happy."

"I gotta go to work tomorrow," Eren said abruptly. "It's Black Friday, so I'll need as much sleep as I can get so I can keep up."

Levi felt bad, thinking he'd made Eren self conscious. But he didn't want to push him to stay and possibly upset him further. So, they said their goodbyes and ended the call. 

 

~

 

Eren came with Levi when he said he needed to go Christmas shopping for his family, thinking it was a good opportunity to get ideas for his birthday. 

They held hands as they wandered through the mall, looking in nearly every store to find all that they needed. Levi squinted at the list he'd written as they walked. "I don't know what half this shit is. My mom wants all these weird things for cooking."

"Don't ask me for help," Eren said. "I barely know how to cook, I don't think I'd recognize anything on that list."

"I'll ask my mom what all this is another day. Let's go and get stuff for Izzy."

They walked into an art supplies store and Eren discreetly watched Levi's eyes to see if they lingered on anything that wasn't on the list. He wouldn't tell him what he wanted, so he figured he'd have to guess based on things he showed interest in. 

"She asked for a sketchbook, but she said she didn't have a preference, so let's start there."

"Okay." Apparently Levi wasn't the type to browse, especially when he knew what he needed, which disappointed Eren. 

Levi took longer than expected, looking through all the options. "I would get her what I use, but I don't know if she'd want that. I want to get her something she'll love."

"Well, while you decide which one you'll get for her, how about I take the list and try to find other things to save on time?"

"You wouldn't mind?"

"Not at all." Eren took the list and got searching. And while he looked, he made sure to be on the lookout for anything he felt that Levi would want. Levi was an artist and of course he enjoyed creating art outside of work, so he was in the right place to find something for him. 

Aside from a couple items, including the sketchbook, the art supplies that Isabel had asked for were very specific, so Eren didn't question himself when he found the right things. He'd only been gone for a short amount of time, and he'd taken an extra few minutes to look around for gifts for Levi, only to come up empty handed. So, he went back to find his boyfriend with a few items for his sister. 

He saw Levi still standing in the sketchbook isle, having yet to make a decision. He would've called for his attention but he looked to be turning around, so he he guessed that he'd see him coming anyway. But Levi stopped halfway, his eyes landing on a woman in the same isle.

Eren may have been watching everything Levi was looking at to see what he wanted but he felt more than distressed when Levi's eyes landed on a stranger's ass.

Eren stopped dead in his tracks when he noticed Levi's eyes widen. He told himself Levi would keep turning, he'd keep his head moving and actually be looking at something else. Any second now. Levi had to be looking at something else. 

Levi wasn't moving. He was staring pretty hard. Eren felt his heart drop. He looked at the woman, noticing her messy hair in a bun, her lack of any makeup, her casual attire that he frankly thought was a little light for winter since it was only shorts and a sweatshirt. Why was Levi staring like that? Any second now, he'd look away. Any second now. Did he find her attractive? Did he prefer her to Eren? He knew Levi was bisexual, so the thought wasn't entirely foolish to him.

Eren shook himself of that thought. He wouldn't let himself be threatened by a stranger.

Any second now. 

This was absolutely ridiculous. Levi's stare didn't waver a centimeter after all this time and Eren couldn't take it anymore. "Levi!"

Levi turned around at the call of his name. "Oh cool, you found some of the stuff on the list?"

Eren realized how he may have been overreacting. Levi didn't even look guilty. "Uh-yeah... I did." He slowly began walking up to him.

"Nice." Levi checked off everything Eren had gotten. "I think I'll get her this sketchbook, if she doesn't like it, I'll get her different one," Levi said, holding up a book.

"Alright."

"Just a few more things, and we'll be done in here."

Eren nodded along. But he couldn't stop the way his heart raced with anxiety.

 

~

 

That night, Levi came to Eren's apartment. And Eren hadn't stopped thinking about the incident all day, so he devised a plan to make Levi forget about that stranger. He'd make him see that he was all he'd ever want and more. Of course, he was blowing the entire situation out of proportion, but he couldn't help it. He was terrified Levi would throw him away or realize that there were better options than him.

"Sweetheart, are you alright?" Levi asked as Eren pulled him by the hand a little too aggressively, leading him into the bedroom. "You've been acting strange all day, is something wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. I just... have a surprise for you! And I'm eager to give it to you, that's all baby." 

"A surprise?" Levi eyed his boyfriend skeptically, not entirely convinced.

Eren sat Levi down on the bed, bringing him into a kiss, not giving him any warning before he gained entrance, running his tongue along Levi's and weaving his fingers through his hair. By the time they separated, Levi was out of breath and Eren had the upper hand. "Yes, a surprise," he breathed. "Now, I'm going to go get ready, but I want you to stay here, undress, get comfortable, anything you have to do. Because when I get back, you're not going to want to waste time with all the boring shit, got it?"

Levi nodded, speechless from his change in attitude. Eren gave him one last kiss and escaped to the bathroom. He may have been a complete mess on the inside, but he knew how to take charge during sex. He knew exactly what skills to flaunt, all the needless parts to avoid, the right facade to wear and every little thing it took to turn Levi on and keep him breathless. It was the one thing he could count on himself to do. 

He looked in the closet and pulled out his best lingerie set that Levi hadn't seen yet. Every item was a deep red that contrasted nicely with his skin tone. He pulled on the tiny pair of panties that barely covered anything, but that was half of the appeal. He threw on the matching bra, stockings and garters, and the last item, which took the longest, was the corset. There was no need to re-lace it, but it still took awhile to situate. In all honesty, he hated wearing corsets during sex, it was too restricting, but he'd always received good 'feedback' from his previous lovers about how much they loved the way he looked in it. He slid on some heels and walked over to the mirror, not just to freshen his makeup, but also add onto it.

Once he deemed himself presentable, Eren sauntered back into his room to find Levi undressed as he had asked.

Levi looked over to him, his eyes blown wide and his jaw agape as he stared at his boyfriend. He'd seen Eren make himself up for times like this before, but he'd outdone himself this time. It was too arousing for him, his cock twitched at the sight and he turned to cover up, but Eren had already seen.

Perfect. He had Levi's undivided attention.

 

~

 

"Holy fuck..." Levi heaved, staring up at the ceiling in a state of utter shock, looking like a complete mess.

Eren on the other hand was both physically and mentally exhausted. Somehow, he wasn't nearly as satisfied as Levi, but he felt extremely proud and relieved that he'd left such an impression on him. 

"How... how did you... what was that?" Levi panted.

"What do you mean?" Eren feigned ignorance, knowing exactly what he'd done to him.

Levi looked over to him, huffing out an amused breath and turning on his side. "You're always impressing me, you know that?"

Eren let himself calm down. Levi seemed to only be interested in him in that moment. He could let his guard down right then. "I'm full of surprises."

They cuddled for awhile, Levi giving infinite praises to Eren and slowly helping him out of his lingerie, only fretting when he'd seen the indents that the corset had left in Eren's skin. But he was well taken care of and in good hands.

"Wanna go to sleep now?" Levi asked.

"Mhm. I'm pretty tired."

"Okay, well, you should take off your makeup. You know you shouldn't sleep in it."

Eren inched away from him. He made such an effort to make sure he looked irresistible for Levi, he didn't want to bring himself down and put him off. That would defeat the purpose.

Levi chuckled. "Come on, you know you should take it off. I'm not gonna be any less in love with you after its gone."

Eren nodded and wordlessly got off the bed and sat at his desk in front of the mirror, pulling makeup wipes out of the drawer. He held the wipe to his face, but hesitated. He thought back to the woman Levi had been staring at and recalled how she had no makeup on and how Levi couldn't look away. Granted he wasn't looking at her face, but what if he saw Eren as less attractive than her? A complete stranger. It would be so humiliating.

Levi looked over when he heard sniffling and saw Eren's head bowed with tears dripping from his face. He hopped out of bed, throwing on a pair of boxers and stood by his side, crouching to be at his level. "Baby, does the makeup really mean that much to you?"

"It's not the makeup..." Eren sobbed, looking away.

Levi took Eren's hand in his, worried he might have said something wrong. "Then what is it?"

Eren couldn't tell him. He'd say that he was being irrational or crazy. "I-It doesn't matter... it's stupid."

"But whatever it is, it's making you cry." Levi's heart broke seeing him this way. "Angel, can you please look at me?"

Eren shook his head. He didn't want Levi to see his face when he was crying, he could only imagine how awful he must've looked. "N-No."

"Then please tell me what's wrong, I want to help." Levi sat next to him on his desk bench and Eren turned his head more to be sure he didn't see him. "Eren..."

Eren hated being quiet. He hated keeping secrets and hiding his feelings but he thought it was so necessary this time. 

"Angel baby, I don't want you to cry. What's making you upset?"

Eren gave in, feeling too helpless. "It's stupid... I know I shouldn't be, but I got jealous. I don't want you to throw me away for somebody else."

Levi had no idea where this was coming from, but it sounded absurd. "What? I would never do that. I love you. Why would you think I'd do such a thing?"

"Because," Eren cried. "There are so many people better than me... you could have anyone you want. Everyone's more attractive than me, smarter than me, and... I don't have anything to offer. I'm not special."

Levi shook his head, even though Eren couldn't see. "No... no, none of that's true. Don't say any of that ever again—"

"It is true! All of it." It was so plain for him to see, Levi had to see it too. "I don't want you to leave me, but I know it'll happen."

"That's not true." Levi gently touched Eren's chin, trying to get him to face him, but Eren yanked his face away, breaking Levi's heart even further. He opted for coaxing him out of his hysteria by reminding him how fearless he normally seemed. "Come on... where's that confidence you're always showing off? Where's that 'take me as I am or leave me' attitude you got? Where's my bold Eren?"

"It's fake," Eren sobbed. "I fake it all, I'm not confident, but no one would want me if was anything other than that." 

Levi was at a loss for words. He just wanted to see him smile again. 

"I'm sorry..."

"What are you sorry for?"

Eren rubbed at his eyes, smearing his makeup. "I'm sorry... for crying, for not being enough for you, for being jealous..."

"Don't be sorry for crying. And you are literally my dream guy, you're everything I could want and more. And who are you even jealous of?"

Eren gulped, ready for Levi to tell him how stupid he was, how offended he felt. "The... the woman from earlier."

Levi frowned. "What woman?"

"The woman! When we were in the art store... I saw you checking her out. It was obvious."

Levi searched his memory, trying to figure out who the hell that was. 'The woman in the art store, the woman in the art store,' he repeated in his head. 

"I don't blame you, she was pretty..."

'The woman in the art store- oh... OH!' Levi finally remembered.

"She was curvy—"

"Eren, baby, you got it wrong," Levi interrupted. "I wasn't checking her out. I thought I heard your heels coming then I saw she had a tattoo on the back of her leg. I was just looking at the tattoo, but not in an ogling way. That was nothing."

Eren's breath escaped him. His own insecurities had planted paranoia in him for no reason. "God... I'm an idiot, I'm so fucking stupid!"

"No, don't say that. You're not stupid." Levi turned Eren's head to face him and this time Eren let him. He could now see just how hard he'd been crying and his chest ached for him. "I wish I knew how you felt so I could've told you that there's no need to be so insecure about these things. Eren..." He tried to think of the best way he could put things to dispel all of his worries. "Listen. You offer so much more than you know. There is no one else like you or anyone who comes close to you or how you make me feel. You're more than enough and you're the one who can get anyone you wanted, not me, but I'm the luckiest man on earth because you chose me. I'm not going to lie, other people are attractive. To tell you that you're the only beautiful person is unfair and untrue. But though there are other attractive people, no one even compares to you. Do you remember the first day we met?"

Eren nodded, finished with crying but still sniffling with tear stains down his face.

Levi cupped the side of his face, looking into his eyes. "I was already so taken with you. You were all I could think about and I almost forgot I was doing your sister's tattoo. The next time we met I thought it was fate. That's why I call you angel, I didn't even think you were real, I thought you had to be an angel, ask Hanji or Petra." 

Eren breathed out a small laugh at that.

"It's true. I've only barely considered the existence of a god before, but on the day I first saw you, I thought one must exist because they sent you to me."

Eren rolled his eyes at how cheesy and exaggerated the line was, chuckling lightly, but he felt his heart swell at Levi's sincerity.

"I may think other people are hot, but I get so weak for you. You are the most beautiful person I've ever seen and ever will see. You're all I'll ever want." Levi brought Eren's hand up to his lips, giving his knuckles a gentle kiss. "And baby, you're so much more than your looks. Please don't sell yourself short. You have the most wonderful personality, you light up the whole room and I can't get enough of you."

Eren now felt so childish for being so worried. "I'm... I'm sorry." His voice still shook, but he'd calmed down enough to be better understood.

"What are you sorry for?"

"For all of this. Making a scene, making you worry. Getting upset over something so stupid."

Levi sighed. "I don't want you to be sorry. I'm actually glad this happened, because if those were things you worried about, I want you to know you don't have to worry about them. I don't want you feeling insecure in our relationship or feel like I'll leave you, so I'm glad we talked it out. Okay?"

Eren nodded. 

"Don't ever be afraid to tell me how you feel, I want to hear everything you have to say."

"... You do?"

"Yes, everything," Levi promised.

Eren leaned his head on Levi's shoulder. "I love you so much."

Levi wrapped an arm around Eren's waist. "And I love you so much. Never doubt that."

Eren started getting a burst of confidence in himself and in Levi. He believed every word he said. Levi would never lie to him. "I'm... I'm gonna take off my makeup. And then, could we maybe... start tonight over?"

"If that's what you want."

 

~

 

Earlier that night, Eren did what he could to give Levi the time of his life in bed and show him that he was the best he'd ever get. Now, he was drawing everything that he now knew to be true out out of Levi's lips so that he could hear from his lover that he was the best he'd ever get, not show him. Maybe it was a little self indulgent, but he didn't care. And Levi didn't have an problem blurting out praises.

Eren laid Levi down, riding him hard and fast, pulling out hot breaths and heavy moans. And he made damn sure Levi told him everything he needed-no, everything he wanted to hear. He knew it was all the truth, he just wanted to hear his lover call out for him desperately.

"What am I to you?" Eren asked, biting at Levi's neck, feeling his lover's fingernails dig into his hips.

"My- my angel... my love..." Levi panted.

"And how do I make you feel?" Eren purred, licking a stripe up from Levi's shoulder all the way to his ear.

"S-So fucking good- shit!"

Eren reveled in Levi's words, slamming his hips down harder, watching Levi's face go beet red and his mouth fall open wide. "Good boy," he panted. He moved Levi's hands down to grip onto his ass, priding himself when he felt Levi's cock throb inside him. "Who do you think of when you're alone? Who do you see when you touch yourself?"

"You, baby," Levi rasped. "Always you."

"Who fucks you better than me? Who rides your cock better than me? Who treats you better than me?"

"Fuck... no one..."

Eren bit at Levi's jaw, leaving a big patch of skin irritated and even drawing the tiniest bit of blood. "Who do you think is sexier than me?"

"No one!" Levi was getting close to his release.

"Who do you love more than me?"

Levi grabbed Eren's jaw, pulling him in front of him to look him dead in the eyes so he said see there was no hesitation when he answered, making Eren still his hips in the process. "No one." He secured his hand behind his lover's head, pulling him into a bruising (though much appreciated) kiss.

They finished together and Eren knew not to worry anymore. He had Levi wrapped around his finger. He always had, he just didn't know it until now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> News: I think it's hilarious, I just finished the final chapter of Think Ink while working at a tattoo convention. Lmao. For those who are curious, this fic will have 28 chapters! I might write bonus chapters or one shots and make this a series, but I'll have to think about it. I make no promises, so please don't nag me about it.
> 
> If you liked this chapter, please leave a comment or kudos! I'm sorry for any errors, I don't edit. My tumblrs are dr-s--art, the-witch-daddy and extraeren. Thanks for reading! <3


	16. Lettering

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren's car breaks down, and Levi's methods of fixing it put them both in a tough spot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Friday!
> 
> I hope you guys like this chapter, I've been anxious to upload another one. 
> 
> Enjoy! <3

"No... no, no, no, nO, NO! Dammit!" Eren banged his hand on the stirring wheel after getting off the road and pulling over. "Goddamn it, this is the worst," he groaned. 

His treasured, pink punch bug had had its troubles in the past, sure, but he didn't expect it to break down so soon. And there couldn't have been a worse time for it to happen than in winter.

After calling to be picked up and having his car brought to the nearest mechanic, he pulled out his phone to call Levi.

He picked up on the second ring. "Hello?"

"Hey, Levi," Eren sighed. "I'm sorry I'm late."

"That's alright, where are you? Everything okay?"

Eren wished he could tell him it was, but that'd be a lie. "No, my car broke down. It's... it's a mess. I'm at the mechanics right now, and looking at everything they said was wrong with my car... it looks like I'm gonna be in a tight spot for awhile."

Levi wasn't surprised that his car broke down, it was only a matter of time. "Shit, that sucks."

"I know, and this is the worst possible time for it to happen. It's winter, so it's hard enough to get to work as it is. It's almost Christmas, not to mention your birthday, and I've still got a ton of things to get for people, and now I'm not even sure I can visit... I'm just so frustrated right now. I love that car. I know it's got it's technical problems, but I love that car. And now it's just making my life hard."

Levi paused for a few moments, thinking over his reply. "I'm really sorry... hey, I know this real good mechanic. And he's really close by the shop. If we could just get your car over there, he'd fix it up real fast, and for a good price too. But I can take care of that."

Eren put his free hand to his temple. "Levi, no. You can't do that for me, it doesn't matter how good the prices are, my car is an absolute wreck. It would get so expensive."

"Listen, baby. The guy owes me. It would cost next to nothing. Just let me worry about it, okay?"

"What did you do for him to owe you?"

"An entire matching back piece for him and his wife. I give out a lot of tattoos to friends with the promise of a favor as payment. Which mechanic are you at?"

 

~

 

They watched (or Eren rather winced) as Levi's friend shut the hood of his car, crossing his arms to stand next to them. He eyed the pealing paint and the dirty windows, finally speaking up. "Well... I wish I could say it'd be a piece of cake, but that's a lie."

Levi elbowed the mechanic. "Shut up, Oluo. Can you do it?"

"Yeah, I can do it, no doubt. It'll just be a few days."

Eren hung his head. "I'm gonna be without a running car for days? How am I gonna get to work?" 

"Babe, if you wanna stay at my place for a few days, I could drive you. Only problem is you'd have to get up earlier."

Eren threw his arms around his boyfriend. "I don't care how early I have to wake up, I just need to get to work. Thank you so much."

Levi kissed his cheek. "Anything for you. Can you go wait in the lobby for a minute? I gotta talk things over with Oluo."

The chat didn't last for long, and soon the couple went on their way, first heading to Eren's apartment to grab whatever he'd need for a few days. "Levi, the sign there said it was a body shop. Do you really think they can do interior work too? I think they just specialize in exterior work."

"I don't know about other body shops, but they got at least three mechanics working there. Trust me, your car is in good hands. I go there whenever my car has troubles. Even though that's not often, but still."

Eren had to put his faith in Levi and Oluo. He didn't know a thing about cars or how to handle them, so trusting his boyfriend was all he could do. 

"You really love that car, don't you?"

"I do!" Eren whined. "It's so pretty... except for the chipping paint. And the seats are really ugly and uncomfortable. But it's like a one of a kind, I'll never find something cooler than that car."

"Is it like your dream car? You know, with the exception of the seats and paint and the... obvious technical issues?"

Eren tapped his fingers on his lap in thought. "No. Close, though. You know how some vintage cars almost sparkle in sunlight? If my car was just a little bit more of a hot pink and looked like that, then yeah, that's my dream car. I know it's hot pink already, but if it was just a tiny bit brighter. And it would be so cool if the seats looked like those old, colorful diner booth chairs! Except not as squeaky. I don't think they make car seats like that, but it would be cool."

Levi nodded along, listening carefully to every detail. "Indeed it would be."

 

~

 

"They said it would only be a few days," Eren mumbled. "I'm worried, was it worse than they thought, maybe?"

"Complications come up all the time," Levi said, trying to calm his boyfriend's nerves. 

"I know but a few days and three weeks is a big difference."

"If it was something really serious, Oluo would've called me." Keeping a secret from Eren for this long was tough, but definitely worth it in the end. "The important thing is that it's finished now."

"Yeah, that's true."

Levi held Eren's hand as he led him into the waiting area and rang the bell on the front desk to call for someone. Eren dropped Levi's hand and went to the window that looked out into the garage to find his car and gasped. "Levi! What are the odds? Someone else has a pink bug! And it's so pretty..."

Levi kept silent, waiting for the realization to hit him. Of course Eren wouldn't think it was his. The body was redone, the dent in the door was gone, it had new wheels, the headlights were now in the shape of hearts, and little colorful decals were spread around the body. And that was just the outside.

"Wow..." Eren breathed. "Levi, I lied. That's my dream car. Right there." He moved his gaze to find 'his car,' but of course, couldn't find another pink bug. "Are they bringing it out?"

Oluo stepped in from the back room. "Hey, Levi! We were a little stressed with the limited time we had to finish it up, but she looks great and is running like she's bran new."

"Thanks, Oluo. Got the keys?"

"Right here." Oluo tossed the keychain to Levi, who turned back to Eren, smirking as he saw the gears in his head turning.

"Here are your keys, babe." 

Eren slowly looked back, his eyes skeptical and searching. "... No."

Levi grinned smugly. "No what?"

"You..." Eren took his keys, switching his gaze between the car and Levi repeatedly. He double checked to make sure that in his hands were the correct keys. He clicked the unlock button, yelping and covering his mouth when the headlights lit up. He just stared out the window with his eyes blown wide, speechless.

"Well? What are you waiting for? Go check it out," Levi prompted.

Eren took a moment before his feet could move. He walked out the door and into the garage on autopilot, still in a state of utter shock as he looked at his car. Levi followed him out, smiling the whole time.

Eren peeked in the window and immediately turned around, unable to handle it. "The insides too?" He squeaked.

"You said you wanted seats that looked like old diner booths, only more comfortable. Is that what you had in mind?"

Eren ran his hands through his hair. "I don't know if I should kiss you or hit you."

"I'd gladly take a kiss."

Oluo walked out into the garage with them. "That is by far the best reaction I've gotten for doing a remodel."

Eren turned to Oluo. "And it runs just fine?"

"Everything's all fixed up, shouldn't have any problems. If you ever do, just run 'er by and we'll take care of it. I owe Levi that much."

Eren yanked Levi into a vice-like hug. "Thank you so much. And thank you too," he said to Oluo. "This is... I can't even describe it. It's like something straight out of the seventies, it's perfect. I love it so much."

"I'm glad," Levi said. He loved it when Eren got that happy.

"Psst," Oluo got Levi's attention. "You're gonna owe me a little more for all that work in only three weeks."

"I'll take care of it," Levi promised.

 

~

 

Levi didn't normally let the opinions of strangers online get to him. He'd never meet them in person, so what they had to say didn't matter to him. He barely even checked comments on his own social media whenever he posted pictures of his work or vague mentions of his personal life. But after he started seeing Eren, he cared a little more. 

He checked the comments in Eren's Instagram posts more than his own, just to be sure that people were being nice to him. If they weren't, he'd talk to him about it, but he never seemed bothered, he was immune to it. But Levi would be hurt or angry in his place on occasion. This was one of those times.

Eren posted pictures on his Instagram, showing off how his car looked after the remodeling and captioned them saying 'When your boyfriend is perfect and surprises you with a car upgrade,' followed my several emojis. Levi smiled at the caption. He wasn't perfect, he just loved doing things for his precious boyfriend. But people felt like this was their place to judge their relationship.

One of the first comments just said "looks like somebody found themselves a sugar daddy!" And that began the flood of rude comments. Most weren't too bad, but one that really hit Levi was the one that said "Eren's just whoring himself out so Levi will buy him things. They're not real boyfriends."

At first, Levi was offended. Of course they were real boyfriends! He loved and cared for Eren like no other, and Eren was the same way. And then Levi became insecure. This was why he didn't read comments. He tried to push irrational thoughts away, he knew their relationship was valid and true. But that one comment burned a hole in his mind. Eren always told him he loved him, treated him with care, made him happy, but was it a show? He had to know Levi was wealthy before they went out, was he really dating him for him? When he was nervous that Levi would leave him, was that because he didn't want to stop being spoiled? Levi shook his head. He rejected that. Eren loved him and he was sure of it. He thought he was sure.

Levi went to bed with Eren in his apartment and was glad that he felt more and more comfortable without makeup in his presence and then he started to wonder. Did Eren wear makeup consistently before just to please Levi and take advantage of him? No! What was wrong with him?

Eren didn't even make himself up that night when they made love. When they were finished, Eren was just as clingy as normal, snuggling up to Levi. He made a pillow of Levi's chest, cuddling up to him. "I still can't believe you did that for me."

Was Eren giving him extra attention as a form of 'payment?' Was the sex his 'payment?' Levi wanted to smack his head against the wall, these thoughts were crazy. Neither of them had issues with that kind of lifestyle, but Levi was starting to feel scared that this boiled down to just sex and money. He had feelings for Eren, stronger feelings than he'd ever felt for anyone, was it one sided?

"Yeah... I just wanted to treat you." Levi didn't know what else to say.

"You're too much sometimes," Eren laughed.

Levi held onto Eren, keeping him close. He should've said nothing, he knew it. But he couldn't keep it to himself any longer. "I saw the post you made about it. I'm glad you're so happy about it."

"Of course, I'm ecstatic about it!"

Eren seemed too excited. Were all the other times he complained about Levi buying him things just tricks to make him not seem selfish? "Yeah... I also read the comments, a lot of people were really invasive."

"I try to ignore them. They don't know what they're talking about." 

Was he trying to get Levi to drop the subject to avoid admitting something? "Some things they said were really out there..." stop talking, Levi told himself. "Some people said they thought I was your sugar daddy or something."

"Isn't that ridiculous?"

Levi should've been brushing it off like Eren was. "Yeah, completely ridiculous..."

Eren furrowed his brows at Levi's tone. "Is something wrong, baby?"

Levi shook his head instinctively. "No... no, definitely not."

"You seem bothered about something."

"I'm not... I just thought the comments were so weird. You know, with all the ones saying shit like how you're only fucking me for my money... just so weird."

Eren didn't like Levi's tone in voice at all. He lifted his head, eyeing him warily. "What, do you believe them?" He asked, obviously offended.

Levi shook his head frantically. "N-No! No, of course not!" He calmed some when Eren eased up. "I would never believe that. I swear."

Eren gave a sigh of relief. "Good. It's not their place to tell us about our own relationship. We know each other better than they do."

"Exactly. They're so off, and we don't have to listen to them."

Eren raised a brow at him. "I never do anyway, but yeah."

"Good, because... It's none of their business, no matter what our relationship is like. How we really feel about each other doesn't matter."

Eren's eyes widened and he raised himself up, away from Levi, releasing himself from his arms. "It doesn't matter?" He echoed eerily low.

Levi realized his mistake and leaned up to fix his error. "No, no, no! I didn't mean it like that—"

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Eren yelled, sitting up, absolutely livid.

Levi had never seen Eren angry before, and frankly it scared the hell out of him. He had no idea what the best method of making up for his mistake was. "I misspoke! I didn't mean that!"

"Okay," Eren calmed some. "Then what did you mean?"

Levi paused, trying to think. No matter how he looked at it, any way of explaining what he did mean to say would reveal to Eren that he was doubting him and he hated himself for that. "... Um..." He took far too long to come up with an answer.

At first Eren looked devastated, then his expression changed to disappointed, then to furious. "Wow, okay. I get it." Eren nodded, making a move to get up.

Levi grabbed his wrist. "Baby, please don't be mad."

"Why wouldn't I be mad?" Eren snapped. "You basically just said that you'd let them believe that I was fucking you for your money and it wouldn't even matter. You basically said you wouldn't even defend our relationship, because it doesn't matter. Oh yeah, it's none of their business what we do, so the fact that I actually love you and I'm not in this relationship for personal gain doesn't matter."

Levi had to admit, the odds were against him at the moment. "I didn't mean it like that. I meant that even if that was our dynamic, it's none of their business."

"But that's the point! Our relationship isn't like that! Did you think that that's what our dynamic was?" The question was rhetorical, but Levi didn't catch on.

Levi averted his gaze. "... I got a little worried that maybe..."

Eren's jaw dropped. He couldn't fathom that Levi, even for a second, considered that Eren was only interested in the benefits that came with dating him. "I can't believe you- get out!" He yanked his wrist out of Levi's grip. If Levi thought that perhaps Eren only wanted him for his wealth, did he also make peace with that? Did he care at all if he loved him? 

"Baby, no, let me explain," Levi begged, sitting up.

Eren moved away from him, sitting at the edge of the bed, crossing his arms. "You don't need to. I get it, you don't give a shit if I have feelings for you or not. As long as we're together, who cares! Right?" He said sarcastically. He couldn't even look at him. 

"I care! It would break my heart if I found out you didn't love me back," Levi's said, desperately trying to get Eren to look at him. 

"Alright, then I guess I have to prove it then! I guess we'll be abstinent and you'll quit your job, giving up all your money, because apparently that's what needs to happen for you to be absolutely sure that I love you!"

"Angel, you're being irrational." Levi regretted the words the second they left his mouth.

Eren finally looked at him in disbelief. "Oh, I'm being irrational? I'm so sorry! Excuse me for being upset that you would listen to a stranger on the internet who said I only sleep with you because you're rich and take their word over mine. Me, your boyfriend who has actually told you before that you don't need to buy me shit even though you keep doing it anyway, and I've been uncomfortable about it before. I apologize for being mad that you would take the word of a stranger who said that all you want from me was sex, even though you're the one who said you wanted to take things slow and not let this relationship be a fling. I'm so sorry for being pissed that you have so little faith in our own relationship, in me, that you question my intentions because of a stupid fucking comment from someone who's probably twelve fucking years old that you never met before and probably lives on the other side of the country! Forgive me for losing my head because you don't trust me enough to know that I wouldn't have ulterior motives when I say I love you!"

Levi didn't realize how ridiculous he was being until now. He knew he shouldn't have doubted Eren and their bond, but he got so scared after everyone tried to invalidate what they shared. "Angel..."

"Don't call me that, you obviously think 'gold digger' would be a more appropriate pet name," Eren muttered bitterly, turning his face away again.

Levi had never experienced Eren's wrath before, but now he knew he never wanted to again. And all he wanted in that moment was for his lover to know that he did trust him and he loved him more than anything. "Eren... I wasn't thinking." He wrapped his arms around his waist, setting his head on his shoulder, only to be ignored. "Baby, I'm sorry. I didn't mean any of that, I don't believe that you'd take advantage of me. I'm sorry."

He received the cold shoulder in response and it broke him. "Love, I'm so sorry. I just got scared after reading the comments because I don't want our relationship to be about benefits and I got insecure. But I was wrong! I was wrong to doubt you even for a second."

Eren's body became less tense, but he was still mad as hell. Though, he calmed down a tad. He knew better than anyone what it felt like to be insecure in a relationship.

"I love you so much."

Eren sighed. "I love you too." He looked over his shoulder at Levi. 

"And I trust you. I trust everything you tell me." 

Eren relented, angling his whole body to finally face him. "Why did you question it? Did I really need to prove it to you at some point?"

"No, never!"

"Then what the hell?" Eren's eyes glimmered, wet with unshed, angry tears. "You need to understand how it made me feel when you said it didn't matter. I've been in so many awful relationships. More than I can count, and in everyone of them, whether they thought they loved me or not, they were mainly with me because they wanted something from me. Most of the time, it was sex."

Levi hadn't known that. If he did, he never would've said half the things he told Eren that night.

"So, in every relationship I've had, I went into it thinking the other person wanted something from me. So when you told me on our first date that you wanted to take things slow... I can't even begin to explain to you how much that meant to me and how happy I was that I found someone who was interested in me, and not what I could give you. Because I can't offer much in a relationship. I'm not a genius, I'm not the bravest person, I don't have a lot of qualities, so I used to rely on sex to keep a boyfriend until I met you."

"But Eren, you do have a lot of qualities. You have so much to..."

Eren held up his finger, signaling he wasn't finished talking. "When you said that our dynamic didn't matter, it took that security away from me. It took away that comfort in knowing that what we have is about love, not exchanges or giving you something to convince you to stay. It's bad enough I hear from strangers, not to mention my own friends, saying things like how I went after you because of your status, even as a joke. It hurts. You... you mean the world to me. Our time together is like a dream, because you treat me like I'm something precious, and that's so new to me. And it feels amazing because that treatment is coming from someone I'm head over heels for. And it hurts to know that you had to question if my feelings were genuine."

Levi saw the weight of his error. "I am so sorry. I made a mistake, and I won't ever doubt you again. That's a promise."

Eren let out a shaky breath. "Good." His anger slowly ebbed away. Above all, he wanted to have a healthy, mutual relationship with Levi and he felt scared that he pushed him away by shouting at him. "I'm sorry for lashing out. I don't want to fight."

Levi brought him into a hug. "I don't want to fight either. And I don't want you to think that I take you for granted. I love you so much."

"I love you too, Levi. More than you know."

"I don't deserve you, love."

Eren pulled back, giving Levi a kiss. "Don't say that. Let's not think about what we do or don't deserve." 'Because I'm the one who's undeserving of you,' he would've said if he didn't know Levi would argue with him. "Just know that I love you for you and don't ever question it."

"I won't, as long as you know that I feel the same way." Levi kissed Eren again to seal their promise, pulling him back to the center of the bed.

 

~

 

Mikasa groaned angrily at the ceiling. "Come on, again?!" She got out of her bed and fetched a broom from the kitchen, pounding the blunt end on the floor. "Knock it off! One of us wants to sleep! Do that gross shit at Levi's place!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Due to past experiences, I feel like people are gonna bitch at me in the comments for this chapter. So, if your comment is nothing but a complaint, don't waste your time, I'll just delete it. 
> 
> But if you DID like this chapter, it would be greatly appreciated if you let me know with a comment or kudos. I'm sorry for any errors, I don't edit! My tumblrs are dr-s--art, the-witch-daddy and extraeren. Thank you so much for reading! <3


	17. Memorial

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi's birthday arrives and he's taken to meet Eren's parents.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so time has just been flying by at college so it feels like updates don't come as soon anymore. So surprise! Here's an extra update!
> 
> Eren's lipstick from this chapter https://extraeren.tumblr.com/post/160891682990
> 
> Enjoy!

Christmas Eve arrived and straight after work, Eren came to Levi's house to spoil him before his birthday arrived. He offered to do whatever he wanted for him that night and Levi requested that he ride him, which he had no problem with. Eren had taken off his makeup upon arriving, due do it being so muddied from wearing it all day, and Levi was just too impatient so as soon as his face was clean, Levi pulled him into bed.

Everything was going great. That was until Levi hit Eren's prostate head on, causing him to moan and drop his jaw, and Levi wasn't yet accustomed to seeing Eren's face without makeup during these kinds of situations and the sight was so arousing that his cocked throbbed inside of his boyfriend and he released a less than attractive sound, making Eren laugh, ruining the mood. They'd finished and gotten vaguely cleaned up, but almost immediately afterwards, Levi hid his face in a pillow and Eren couldn't get him to look back at him no matter how hard he tried. He thought it was adorable.

"Levi, don't be embarrassed! Everyone has reactions that they can't control during sex, it happens all the time. It even happens to me." Eren was too amused with how childish Levi was acting. He wasn't even remotely worried, he just didn't want him to feel ashamed.

"Yeah, but when it happens to you, you still look like a sex god," Levi grumbled, his words muffled by the pillow. "Not a damn seal like I did. And your dick doesn't act like a fucking cartoon, moving on its own."

Eren bit back a giggle at Levi's expense to save him the embarrassment. "Baby, don't worry about it." He rubbed circles onto Levi's bare back. "I thought it was hot."

Levi peeked his head up just enough to look at Eren and raise a brow skeptically. "... You did?"

"Yeah." Eren nodded. "I love it when your cock does that, it's sexy. It's like a compliment," he purred, gently raking his nails up and down Levi's spine. "It's like you're so turned on that you can't even control how your body reacts. And the fact that it only happens when you're completely focused on me, like when you see me in lingerie you like or when you're staring too hard, or that one time when you grabbed my ass... it's flattering."

Levi bowed his back into Eren's touch, already starting to get riled up again. 

"There's that, and the seal noise was just plain cute."

Levi frowned, pulling the blanket over himself to hide, only making Eren laugh more.

"Baby, I was just teasing! Please come out."

"No, you're a coldhearted temptress."

Eren shrugged, reaching to the floor to pull on his little, green, satin nightgown. "Fine. I guess you won't be getting your surprise after all."

Levi tugged the blanket down just enough to look at him, narrowing his eyes. "What surprise?"

Eren smirked, he knew that would work. "I can't tell you, it's not your birthday yet."

Levi shoved off the blanket, pointing aggressively to the clock. Eren looked over and saw that it was a couple minutes past midnight. "Hm... I guess it is your birthday."

"What surprise?" Levi persisted.

Eren leaned over, giving Levi a slow, sensual kiss. "Happy birthday, Levi." He sat back, hopping off the bed and going over to his bag, fishing through it. "You know my friend Sasha? Well, at work today, we exchanged gifts and before she gave me my real present, she gave me a gag gift. But... I think we can make good use of it." He tossed the item he was looking for onto the bed for Levi to inspect.

Levi picked it up, squinting at Eren. "Lipstick was supposed to be a gag gift for you?"

"Read the packaging."

Levi turned the tube over and took a double take. "Blowjob proof lipstick? This is a real thing?"

"I don't know if it's marketed as a joke or if it's a genuine cosmetic, but there's only one way to test out if it works. Wanna give it a shot?"

"Do you really think I'm gonna say 'no?'" 

Eren took the lipstick back and stood in front of Levi's mirror to apply it, taking his sweet time. Afterwards, he fanned it with his hand to help it set up. "It's gotta dry first."

The anticipation was killing Levi. It was only going to be a minute or two for the lipstick to set, but he hated waiting. He couldn't stop staring at Eren's lips, now bright pink and full, needing them to be on him already. 

Eren crawled into bed, smiling innocently and letting one strap of his nightgown fall off his shoulder, knowing it would drive Levi crazy. It was always the little things that had him bursting at the seams. And by the look on Levi's face, Eren knew it was working.

Eren lightly shoved at Levi's shoulders until he was laying back against the wall comfortably and sank between his legs, keeping eye contact the whole time.

Levi ran his fingers through Eren's hair, his hand coming down to hold his chin. "You're so beautiful." He stared at his lover adoringly, as if he was the most precious thing in the world.

Eren was caught off guard. Just seconds ago, Levi's eyes were clouded with lust, which was now replaced with infatuation. "So lovely..." Levi murmured.

Eren averted his eyes, his cheeks turning scarlet. "Do you want your present or not?"

Levi smirked, letting his head fall back, watching Eren with hawk eyes and waving his hand as a gesture to say 'go ahead.' He was trying to make him get all shy. Was it working? Yes. Was it turning Eren on? Also yes. Was he going to let that keep him from doing a good job for his birthday boy? Hell no.

Eren tugged off Levi's boxers and immediately brought up one hand to stroke Levi's length, and used the other to cup and fondle his balls. 

"Let me get a condom—"

"No," Eren said. "I'm fine like this if you are."

Levi lifted a brow in surprise, but didn't make any complaints. "I'm alright with that."

Eren didn't waste anymore time and got right to work, leaving kisses starting from the base of Levi's cock all the way up to the tip, paying special attention to the piercings. He glanced down, observing his work and grinned at the lack of visible trace. "Well, now we know the lipstick works."

"Perfect. Now, put those pretty lips to good use for me, will you?"

Eren chuckled and did as told, taking the tip of Levi's cock into his mouth and sucking ever so gently to tease his lover. Levi inhaled sharply, biting his lip and fuck, this man's mouth is a godsend, he thought to himself. He forced himself to keep his eyes open, not wanting to take his eyes off the beautiful, erotic scene before him.

Eren swirled his tongue around the head before sinking lower, taking more of him into his mouth. As he worked both hands, one going up and down his shaft and the other tending to Levi's balls, he used his fake nails to just barely rake against his skin, eliciting a low groan from the man above him. He looked up at Levi through his eyelashes innocently, making eye contact and finally satisfied when Levi's blush bloomed red hot over his cheeks. 

Eren took more of Levi in, little by little, hollowing his cheeks and sucking harder. Levi set a hand on the back of his head, being careful not to tug too hard on his hair. Eren let him in deeper, bobbing his head and lightly dragging the tips of his teeth for a subtle stimulation that made all the difference. Whatever he couldn't fit in his mouth, he used his hand to pump the rest.

Levi's mouth dropped and his head fell back, hitting the wall. "Fuck... Eren," he breathed.

Eren moaned around him, sending vibrations up his length. Nothing made him happier than to take Levi apart by pleasuring him. He increased his pace, hearing Levi's breathing pick up and mentally gave himself a pat on the back.

Levi had to keep himself from thrusting into the heavenly warmth of Eren's mouth. He bit at his free hand to silence any noises that threatened to make their way out of his mouth. His body started to tremble with the beautiful sensations he was experiencing and it was difficult to hold on for much longer.

"Eren, stop... I'm not gonna last- fuck!" He groaned. He wished he wouldn't come so soon, but he couldn't help it. His warning didn't deter his lover in the slightest and he worried that he hadn't heard him. He gave a gentle tug to his hair, but that only seemed to spur him on further. "Babe, I can't..."

Levi came with a low grunt, releasing into Eren's mouth, which he swallowed with no qualms. He waited until Levi had finished and was completely satisfied before taking him out of his mouth with a pop, licking the corner of his lips and smirking seductively at him. "That didn't take long."

Levi frowned, looking away. 

 

~

 

"Don't be nervous about meeting my parents, they'll love you!" Eren assured Levi, driving him and his sister to their parents' home. Levi had his family over the evening of his birthday, so the following weekend, he agreed to meet Eren's mom and dad, Carla and Grisha. 

"Didn't you say your dad hates tattoos?" Levi asked, fidgeting in his seat. "He'll hate me, I'm covered head to toe in them. Not to mention I've given you and your sister tattoos."

"He'll get over it. Once he gets to know you, he won't have a problem."

"He'll be more focused on the fact that you're dating Eren," Mikasa said from the back seat. "So, based on that alone, you've got a fifty-fifty chance of him liking you."

"Mikasa, stop, he's got a better chance than that," Eren argued.

"I guess that's true, you're actually nice to Eren, so he'll appreciate that."

Levi looked over at Eren who seemed a little uncomfortable over her comment. He knew that his past boyfriends weren't that great, but he didn't know the extent of the issues. However, that was a discussion for another day.

"Dad will love you," Eren said confidently. "And so will our mom. Both of them are looking forward to meeting you, so let's stay optimistic."

Levi looked down at the bag in his lap. "Do you think I should've gone with wine? I didn't want to assume that they drink, so I brought this fancy loaf of bread from the bakery."

"Wow, he brought something," Mikasa commented. "Good manners, he keeps one upping your exes."

Eren smiled to himself. "Levi's really sweet. I'm a lucky guy."

Soon, they arrived at their parents' house and pulled in the driveway. The three of them walked right in, appreciating the warmth of the indoors and shaking off the snow. They kicked off their shoes and were soon greeted by Carla coming to help them get settled.

She hugged both her children, wearing a bright smile. Levi stood at a distance, unsure if it'd be appropriate for him to step in during the initial greeting. Carla looked at him over Mikasa's shoulder and released both her children, coming for him with open arms. "Don't stand there holding up the wall, come here!" 

Levi didn't protest when he was brought into a hug, but remained surprised. "O-Okay."

"Eren has told me a lot about you!" Carla stood back with her hands on his shoulders. "And I love the tattoos you did for him and Mikasa, they're absolutely beautiful!"

"Thank you very much." Levi couldn't think of much else to say, so he raised the loaf of bread.

"Oh, how thoughtful! I'll go put this on the table. You take off your jacket and Eren will show you around the house." Carla left into the kitchen, out of sight. "Grisha, the kids are here!" 

Eren's father came out from the kitchen and greeted both of his children. "Haven't seen you both in about a month," he said, hugging each of them.

"Would've came sooner, but my car was getting work done for three weeks," Eren apologized. He led his father over to Levi. "Dad, this is my boyfriend I told you about. This is Levi."

Grisha looked him up and down and stuck out his hand. "You're the tattoo artist?"

"Yessir." Levi shook his hand stiffly.

Grisha stared at him, not letting go of his hand and Levi felt like he was staring into his soul. "Hmph." He nodded and left. "I'll be helping your mother in the kitchen."

Levi sighed, following Eren and Mikasa into the living room. "Yup. He hates me."

Eren scoffed. "He does not hate you. He's just... protective."

"He acts pretty cold, but that doesn't mean he doesn't like you," Mikasa commented. "He doesn't understand the concept of appearing friendly, he's very straightforward, very blunt."

Levi nodded, exhaling heavily. "I just don't want to make a bad impression."

"The only thing that'll put you on our parents' bad side is treating Eren or me poorly, so I think you'll be fine," Mikasa said, settling down on the couch.

"Don't worry." Eren kissed Levi's cheek. "Let me show you around, help you relax some."

Eren gave Levi a brief tour, showing him around the house, directing him to the restroom, bringing him in his old bedroom and finally returning to the living room. Levi's attention was brought to the wall full of picture frames. "Can I look at those?" Levi asked.

"Of course." Eren stood with him to give stories behind each photo. 

Levi looked at Carla and Grisha's wedding photos, pictures of them when they were young and other similar memories, but he was mostly concerned with Eren's photos from childhood. He looked so cute, he couldn't stop staring. Levi smiled at a particular photo of Eren as a little boy in a bright blue shirt and matching tutu, sitting at a pink plastic table with his sister.

"We used to have tea parties a lot," Eren explained. "You know... without real tea."

Levi snickered. "That's adorable." There was a plethora of pictures of Eren and his sister laughing and playing as small children, but Levi noticed that as they aged, the pictures of Eren became more scarce. And the ones that he did appear in, his smile started to fade and stood out less. Levi pointed to one with Eren sitting on a bench, wearing a dark brown and green striped shirt, faking a tiny smile with Mikasa beside him, throwing an arm around his shoulder. "What about this one?"

Eren looked over. "Oh, that day I think the family went on a day trip to a city or something. We were waiting to get on the train."

"I'm surprised that you'd wear something that's not so colorful."

Eren winced. "Yeah, it was a weird phase for me."

Levi sensed some uneasiness in his voice, so he didn't want to drone on the subject, so he instead found a picture where Eren looked a little bit more enthusiastic, dressed in a vibrant, purple tux, standing beside Mikasa in a shining silver gown. "What was the occasion?"

"Prom," Eren beamed. "I went to a lot of proms. One of my guy friends asked me to go with him that year."

"Do you have pictures from your other proms?"

Eren pointed to the other end of the wall. "The next year, I worked up the nerve to ask my mom if I could wear a dress to prom. We didn't have a lot of money at the time so, she bought me a dress from a thrift shop, but I loved it and she did my makeup for me."

The picture showed Eren dressed in a floor length, yellow dress, minimal makeup, but also a soft, genuine smile, which was nice to see again. Then, he pointed to the picture beside it. "That year was my senior year, so my mom made sure she had enough money and she brought me to a real dress shop like she did with Mikasa for her senior year. Did my makeup myself that time," he added proudly. 

Levi grinned at the photo. He looked more like himself in that one than any of the previous pictures. His dress had a textured, ruffled cut, endless sequins, cutouts on his sides that showed his waist, and like every other day, all the colors of the rainbow. Eren stood tall in his now signature heels, his manicure was as prominent as his dramatic makeup, but the biggest difference from the other pictures was his blindingly bright smile and his pose. He had a hand on his hip, the other was in the air and he just looked so... happy.

"Who did you go with?"

Eren chuckled at the memory. "My first prom, I went with this 'friend' of mine. He had a thing for me and I was desperate so I said yes when he asked me. But the next year, this person in my class who was nonbinary wanted to wear this really feminine suit and they knew I liked to wear dresses and I hated wearing, well... 'mens clothes.' So, they asked me to go with them so we both could be happy and not worry about what people thought of us, and we had so much fun, I asked them to come with me the next year too."

Mikasa pushed her way between the couple. "You're not gonna let him leave without seeing the picture."

"Mikasa, no! He looked right past it, come on!"

"Levi, check this out." She brought his attention lower to another picture of Eren as a little boy. He had a mess of makeup smeared onto his face, he was swimming in a dress that was made for and adult and high heels too big for his feet. "Mom and I came home from her taking me to the dentist and he had gotten into her closet and he just went to town."

Levi chuckled then looked up, trying to hide his laughter after seeing Eren with his face in his hands. "Don't be embarrassed, angel. It's cute," he said, putting his arm around his waist. "We all have pictures of when we were kids that we wish didn't exist.

Eren took his face out of his hands. "Now that you mention it—"

"Eren, no!" Mikasa grabbed her brother's arm and tugged him away, but Eren fought it with a grin.

"This is payback!" He couldn't reach the photo with his sister pulling at him full force. "Levi! Top right corner!"

Levi looked and found a picture of Mikasa at around the age of twelve, in mid sneeze with snot flying everywhere and A frog jumping out of her hand. "What the hell was happening in that picture?"

"We don't know, but isn't it funny?" Eren laughed.

By the time Levi turned around, Mikasa had wrestled him to the ground for pointing out the picture. Grisha walked in at that moment and sighed disappointedly at his children. He looked up at Levi. "Tell them dinner is ready when they're done."

 

~

 

Levi felt right at home with the Jaeger family. Grisha didn't dislike him after all, he was merely being cautious. Carla loved him right away and would ask him all sorts of questions regarding his career and personal life. Everyone was especially appreciative that Levi had brought the bread and it was half eaten towards the end of the meal. It took so little to impress them all, which worked in Levi's favor.

"Eren, why did it take so long for your car to get fixed?" Carla asked.

Eren sat up straight, giving Levi an adoring look. "Well, the engine was just a mess, I can't even get into everything that was wrong with it. And that took a couple days, but I took my car to a place that Levi recommended. What I didn't know was that Levi had requested for my car do get a makeover of sorts. So the body had a new paint job, the inside is absolutely stunning, I got new wheels, everything! And all because Levi wanted to, I didn't even ask. He's just nice like that."

Carla widened her eyes at Levi, picking at her food. "Really? That must've been expensive."

Levi shook his head. "Not at all. I'm friends with the head mechanic and I did these two massive tattoos on him and his wife so he owed me a favor. And I thought Eren would like it, so that's the favor I asked for."

"That's so sweet!" Carla beamed.

"You gotta see his car," Mikasa commented. "It's insane, the whole thing is tricked out."

"You do this kind of thing often? Doing things for him just because you can?" Grisha asked.

Even though Levi knew Grisha harbored no negative feelings for him, he tensed at every word he said to him. "Well, yeah... I do make a decent amount of money, more than I can find a use for, so I'll spend it on people I care about."

Grisha nodded. "Good thinking."

Levi discreetly blew out a sigh of relief.

"Levi's always doing crazy things and buying things I don't need. You should've seen how he handled Christmas."

"What did he get for you?" Carla asked.

"What didn't he get for me is a better question." Eren went on to explain all the gifts Levi bought for him. All the clothes, makeup, shoes and all. Many times when they would go out shopping and Eren would want a piece of jewelry, he would tell Levi not to get it for him but he would anyway. He just saved it to give it to him for Christmas without him knowing. Of course, Eren neglected to tell his parents about the lingerie and sex toys Levi gave him. He wasn't subtle when hinting at the things he'd like to try with Levi, and well, Levi knew several nearby sex shops and online stores, it was bound to happen. 

"I felt really bad. After all, it was also Levi's birthday and I couldn't get him nearly as much as he gave me."

"I didn't mind at all," Levi assured him. "All I want from you is you. You don't need to get me presents."

"Why can't I find a guy like that?" Mikasa grumbled.

"In all fairness, you found him before I did. It's not my fault you didn't snatch him up when you had the chance," Eren said.

Levi finally let himself relax. It was plain to see that he was welcomed into the family with no problems. The atmosphere was so light and aside from feeling slightly intimidated by Eren's father, Levi didn't feel as if he didn't belong at the table.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter even though it's kind of just filler.
> 
> If you liked this, please leave a comment or kudos! I'm sorry for any errors, I don't edit. My tumblrs are dr-s--art, the-witch-daddy and extraeren. Thanks for reading!


	18. Matching

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi has to go to an interview and Eren leaves a memorable impression.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Friday! This chapter was obligatory, so here ya go. I just had to write something like this. 
> 
> Enjoy!

"When do you have to be there?" Eren asked, picking out clothes for the day.

"Not until seven, but it takes hours to get there." Levi had an interview late in the evening on a show about popular artists. He'd been invited to appear on the show and was initially going to decline, but his coworkers talked him into it. He wasn't too keen on the idea of going alone, and Petra and Hanji were busy at the shop, so he invited Eren to come along. Since summer was rolling around again, his coworkers would be pushing him to do more events. "So we should probably leave in the next hour or two."

"Oof, guess I better start on my makeup now." Eren threw on a dress and sat down at his makeup desk. He immediately jumped into his routine, starting off with moisturizer. 

Levi gravitated to the bench Eren sat on and seated himself at his side. Eren smirked at him through the mirror, raising a brow at him. "What brings you over here?"

"Can I watch you do your makeup?"

Eren paused for a second, wondering why he wanted to do that, then got back into his routine. "I guess. Why?"

"I think it'd be cool to see how you do it. It's always so detailed and perfect and I wanna see the process to get it there."

"Alright, then enjoy the show."

Eren expected him to get bored within the first few minutes, but he actually took a great interest in his work. 

"What's that?" Levi asked.

Eren huffed out an amused breath. "Concealer."

Levi nodded and kept watching intently. The tables had turned. People always wanted to watch him tattoo, but he wanted to see how Eren made his art. "What's that for?"

Eren didn't know why he thought it was so funny that Levi took such an interest in every step. "It's primer. It makes the eye tacky so the eyeshadows stick better and last longer."

Levi nodded along. "Makes sense."

Eren added eyeshadows, creating intricate shapes and layering colors and Levi loved watching how he'd start off with a base color to change the overall affect, seeing the colors constantly shift. The technique and skills applied wowed him and helped him to appreciate all his hard work and the practice of being a makeup artist in general.

"What the fuck is that?" Levi widened his eyes at the tool in Eren's hand.

"... It's an eyelash curler."

"... Does it hurt?"

"No."

Levi looked on, intrigued as Eren curled his eyelashes, wondering how it didn't hurt. "Are you pulling it away from the eye?"

"No, that pulls out the eyelashes."

"It looks dangerous."

Eren snickered. "It is," he said in a mock eerie tone. "It could blind me," he joked. He went on, finishing the eyes, trying not to laugh when Levi freaked out about 'putting glue so close to the eye' while he applied false lashes. 

He moved onto filling in his eyebrows and Levi rested his head on his shoulder, still watching. Eren liked the way he put all his weight on him affectionately as he watched him through the mirror.

"I'm so in love with you."

Eren stopped in the middle of doing an eyebrow. He looked at him through the mirror and felt his heart skip a few beats. Levi pressed a kiss to his shoulder and locked eyes with him again. "You mean that?"

"I wouldn't say that if I didn't."

Eren wore a splitting grin and returned his gaze to his reflection, filling in the rest of his brow. He couldn't suppress the butterflies in his stomach and he couldn't control the way his heart beat faster like he was running a marathon. "I'm in love with you too."

He tried in vain to focus on the rest of his makeup, but the way Levi set a hand on his leg while looking at him so adoringly had him distracted. And then he felt the urge to have Levi more involved. He showed him two bottles of liquid lipstick. "Purple or blue?"

"I get to pick?"

"Mhm." Eren nodded.

Levi mulled over his decision, furrowing his brows. "Hmm... blue."

"Blue lips it is," Eren concluded. 

"I like it when you ask me to pick things out for you. It's like a 'choose your own adventure,' but with your look."

Eren laughed at that. "I think it's fun. It's like a surprise every time you pick for me."

"I want something out of it though. By the end of the night, I want to be covered in blue."

"As you wish." Eren winked.

 

~

 

Levi always hated the fretting of crews behind the set. It wasn't often that he did interviews and when he did, the biggest bother in his opinion was the preparation. This was why he had a preference for radio shows. 

"Levi, sweetie, you're freaking out over nothing," Eren chuckled from the side.

That was the other thing. Levi was a big baby when it came to strangers in his personal space if it wasn't for work. "I don't like it."

"Levi, it's fine. She's just setting up your mic."

The woman finally placed the mic clip at a good position, offered Levi a thumbs up and went on her way. Levi was just standing there like a child with a sour face. 

Eren stroked Levi's arm comfortingly. "See? That wasn't so bad. And now you're all ready."

Levi groaned. "I don't like the pre show bullshit. And honestly, I'd rather be home right now than here talking about work and answering questions I've answered a million fucking times."

"Well, think of it this way. You're not going to be here for long, they said the interview only lasts a bit less than a half hour. You'll be done before you know it."

Levi sighed, hanging his head. "It's just the more I do these, I feel like I'm more likely to snap. Or I'll speak as bored as I feel and then people will think I'm an asshole. Not that they'd be wrong, but I don't want them to think it."

Eren snorted out a laugh. "You're not an asshole. If you're really worried about that then... just pretend you're talking to me. Act like I'm the one asking the questions and answer them as if I was sitting next to you. This is the first interview of yours I get to see, I wanna hear what you have to say."

The lights went down backstage and there was a soft applause from the small audience. The host of the show began his intro to the show and Levi took a steadying breath. "Okay. I have to go in a few seconds."

"You're gonna do great," Eren assured him.

"Thanks, angel." Levi gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I love you."

"I love you too."

The moment finally came. "Please welcome our guest, Levi Ackerman!" 

"See you in a bit," Levi said.

"Good luck!" Eren gave him a kiss on the cheek. Levi turned away from him and he gasped, grabbing his hand. "Levi, wait!"

"I gotta go," Levi said, waving and smiling at him, grateful for his support. 

"No- but, Levi—"

"Love you!" And with that, he stepped out on stage.

Eren just watched, wide-eyed with his hands covering his mouth that had already dropped, feeling his heart race and wondering if Levi would be angry when he figured it out. He watched from offstage, praying for the best.

Levi shook the hand of the show host and sat down in his chair. The host narrowed his eyes at Levi, making a confused expression which Levi thought was odd. Eren just lowered his face, covering his eyes, unable to watch.

"Thanks for joining us tonight, we know you've got a busy schedule."

"Thanks for having me." Levi hated the way he sounded so robotic, so he reminded himself to envision Eren beside him. In an instant, he relaxed, taking a deep breath. This was going to be a piece of cake.

 

~

 

The interview was going smoothly. Of course, Levi was asked a million questions about his beginning as a tattoo artist and his best and worst experiences in his career. Nothing he hadn't answered before. Meanwhile, Eren was stressing and sweating, watching everything go on.

"Okay, now, I have to address the elephant in the room," the host said, chuckling and shaking his head.

Levi raised a brow at him. "Alright... what is the elephant in the room?"

Eren bit his lip anxiously.

"Well, it's just that I didn't know you had such a big face tattoo, let alone any color tattoos."

Levi frowned. "... What?"

"The big blue print," the host explained.

Levi raised a hand to his cheek and pulled back when he felt an odd texture, finding his finger stained blue. He widened his eyes and threw a look over at Eren who was hiding his face in his hands. "... Oh."

"What's up with that?" The host laughed.

Eren bit his hand, feeling so embarrassed for Levi and so angry with himself for doing that to him right before he went on television. He had no idea what excuse Levi would make up to get himself out of this, or even if he could think of a solution at all. 

"It's a good luck kiss," Levi said nonchalantly.

Eren's eyebrows shot off his face. Levi just said the truth like it was nothing. He didn't try to lie at all and he showed no shame.

"Oh, really?"

"Yes."

"From who?"

Levi angled himself to point backstage, right at Eren, catching him off guard. "My wonderful boyfriend. He's right offstage and he gave me a kiss for good luck, because I needed it and he's perfect."

The audience let out an 'aw,' and Levi couldn't stop smiling. "I didn't know you were dating someone," the host commented. "How long have you been together?"

"About a year now. His name is Eren and I love him." Now that Levi was talking about something more interesting, he became even more engaged and glad to talk.

"I can see that, you look really happy about being with him."

"I am, he makes me happy." Levi was positively beaming, and not a single person didn't notice.

"What does he think of your tattoos?"

Levi tossed another look to Eren, seeing him smiling uncontrollably. "He likes them, I'm pretty sure. Wait—" he saw Eren put his hands in the shape of a heart and mouth the words 'love them!' "No, my bad. He says he loves them."

"I'm sorry, you can see him?" The host leaned to the side, laughing a bit. "Oh, he's right there! Let's get a shot of him."

For a brief moment, the camera was on Eren. It only stayed there for a second, but in that time, Eren waved nervously.

"Damn, his lips are really blue."

"Yeah, he's beautiful. He always does a unique look for his makeup." Levi wasn't even looking at the host anymore, he was just grinning like a fool at his boyfriend.

"Does he have any tattoos?"

"Mhm, one. I gave it to him. It's a butterfly on his forearm."

The interview went on, now revolving around people in Levi's life, what they thought about his job and things of the like. It was a good change for Levi, it was so much more simple for him to let his genuine character show and talk without putting effort into sounding... not dead. 

 

~

 

"You did so good," Eren praised Levi on the drive back home. "It wasn't nearly as bad as you thought it'd be, right?"

"It was only easy because you were there in all honesty. I think your good luck kiss helped."

Eren rolled his eyes in amusement. "Give yourself credit, it was mostly you."

"You helped me though. Just you being there close by was comforting." If something had went wrong, he could've just left and Eren would be right there to support him. Not that he'd be that childish, but helped to know that Eren was waiting for him.

"I'll always be there for you, even if it's not in person," Eren promised. 

"The feeling is mutual."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ayyy Fridays are my favorite day of the week now, mainly because of this fic (and also I have no classes). 
> 
> If you liked this chapter, please leave a comment or kudos! I'm sorry for any errors, I don't edit. My tumblrs are dr-s--art, the-witch-daddy and extraeren. Thank you so much for reading! <3


	19. Trash Polka

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren and Levi go to a tattoo convention and Eren comes home with new confidence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Friday!
> 
> I'm a little nervous to upload this chapter since I'm not sure how people will respond to it. But I wanted to write it because I don't see many people like Eren (who identifies in a way similar to people that I know) represented very often. But I hope you all enjoy this anyway! I really liked writing this chapter!
> 
> Warning: If you are uncomfortable or triggered by specific mentions of hate towards one's own body, I suggest you skip this chapter or proceed with caution!

"Are we there yet?" Isabel whined in the back seat.

"You asked me that an hour ago when I said we were two hours away. What do you think?" Levi grumbled, switching lanes.

He was working at a tattoo convention for the weekend and since Isabel had just gotten out of school and had her birthday, he let her come along upon her request. Eren took the weekend off to accompany his boyfriend, having never been to a tattoo convention before.

"Can I get a tattoo this time?"

"Are you eighteen?"

"No—"

"Then, no."

Isabel slid down in her seat, groaning. "Is Eren gonna get a tattoo?"

"I don't think I am, not this time," Eren said.

"Must be nice to actually get a say in it," Isabel muttered bitterly.

"You'll get a say when you're legal, Izzy," Eren chuckled. "You only got a year to go, use that time to really think about what you want."

"I already know what I want!"

"I'm not putting Farlan's name permanently on your body and I will kill anyone who does if you convince them by some miracle," Levi said.

Isabel crossed her arms, pouting. "Shouldn't I get a tattoo as a reward for all I've done for you two?"

Levi scoffed. "Wha- all you've done?"

"Yes! You two wouldn't be together if it wasn't for me!" Isabel said, sitting back up. "You wouldn't have seen Eren again if I hadn't brought you to Sephora and you probably wouldn't have asked him out either if I didn't make it obvious that you liked him. You should thank me!"

"Izzy, I hate to break it to you, but I would've went after Levi either way," Eren apologized, looking over his shoulder at her. "I'd met him before. No force on earth could keep me away."

"Then you better have been planning on asking him out too. Because we all know he wouldn't have done anything if I hadn't set up the opportunity."

Levi couldn't help but feel offended. "Izzy, I know I haven't seen you since Christmas, but where the fuck did all the sass come from."

"I think it's the makeup, it makes me feel like I've got authority. Blame Eren for that."

 

~

 

They reached their hotel and retired for the night after a long day of driving. "Don't stay up too late on your phone," Levi warned his sister. "We gotta get up early."

"I know that!" Isabel threw a pillow at Levi's face, which he immediately took as a challenge.

Levi picked up his own pillow, swinging it at his sister. "You little shit!"

Isabel fought back with no mercy. "How do I know you won't stay up all night on YOUR phone?"

"Because I'm not a kid with thirty social medias!" There was no real fight in either of them, but it'd been awhile since they could just be siblings again. Levi always had to be the adult when Isabel was left in his care and when he visited, Isabel had friends or her boyfriend over. So, it was nice to have a 'vacation' of sorts from being mature.

Isabel jumped on Levi's back, still beating him with the pillow. "Well, you got a job and people emailing you every two seconds!"

Levi threw his sister on the mattress, with no genuine force so he wouldn't hurt her. "But you have those stupid games you damn kids are always playing!"

"I don't have any game apps!"

"Lies! All lies!"

Eren walked into the room after brushing his teeth and felt nothing but confusion. Levi and his little sister were assaulting each other with pillows while screaming about nonsense. "Am I interrupting something?"

"You're fine," Isabel said, stealing a shot right at Levi's face. 

"Everything's cool," Levi added, getting Isabel back.

Eren just stood there until one of them claimed victory.

Isabel won, putting Levi in his place and it became a mutual agreement amongst the three of them to go to sleep so they'd have enough energy the next day. Isabel got a bed to herself, while Eren and Levi shared their own, and soon, everyone drifted off to sleep. 

 

~

 

Mikasa ran into her mother in the middle of the hallway during her search. "Hey, mom? I'm missing one of my bras, have you seen it in the laundry room maybe? It's blue."

"No, I haven't. Check your hamper."

"I did, three times."

Eren quietly shut his bedroom door, closing the sliver of space he'd been looking through to eavesdrop on his family and stood over by his mirror. It felt too embarrassing to just ask his sister if he could try on one of her bras, just to see how it looked, so he took it, ready to put it back when he was done. Mikasa was only there for Christmas break before she'd return to college and his mother's clothing was less likely to fit.

He and Mikasa often shared clothes. Mikasa would borrow his skirts for formal events, he'd wear her dresses when he was out shopping, it was a mutual thing. Since he'd gotten rid of his more fun clothing, he'd borrow her skirts and look back in the mirror disappointedly when they wouldn't look right. He always needed a belt to keep them on, as his sister had the wider hips he would kill for. She had the whole body he'd kill for.

Eren looked in the mirror, standing to examine his side profile with the bra underneath his shirt. It was a weird shape since he had nothing to fill in and he felt too childish to stuff the bra. Eren wondered why he was like this for the first time. It had always seemed natural to wear flowing, glittering clothes, but now it wasn't enough. And he couldn't figure out what it was.

He knew he was a boy, but he wanted to look more 'like a woman' and he couldn't wrap his head around why. He knew what it meant to be transgender, but he didn't feel that way. In his history class, he sat next to someone who he'd occasionally do partnered projects with and they were nonbinary. But he didn't identify with that either. Since everyone he knew was so sure of who they were, he felt like he should say that he wasn't what he'd thought he was for so long. People would take one look at him and tell him he was a boy. He would give them a funny look back and say 'I know.' He wasn't trying to not be a boy by wearing these clothes.

And he knew he also liked boys, and he knew that meant he was gay. But the other gay boys in his school didn't look or act the way he did and while they showed interest in him, he couldn't hardly relate to them. 

He looked at his reflection and suddenly became furious. His chest was flat, so he'd need a bra and something to fill it. His hips were practically nonexistent, maybe there was a workout routine to fix that. His legs were too long, his shoulders were too broad, his jaw wasn't soft enough, his eyebrows weren't thin enough, but he didn't want long hair. His brow bone was too prominent, his hands weren't delicate, his arms were too muscular, but he didn't mind what was in his pants. He heard some of the transgender students in his school talk about 'gender dysphoria,' but he had no idea if one could feel that if they knew they were what they were assigned at birth. Why was he feeling this way? Why did he hate some parts of his body and not the others? Was he wrong to feel this way?

The next thing he knew, he was in the bathroom, studying his handiwork with skepticism. 

He'd left the door open and soon his mother came in with towels in her arms and stopped once she saw her son standing in front on the sink. "Oh my god, Eren what did you do to your eyebrows?"

Eren stilled after setting down the tweezers. "... I plucked them."

Carla set down the towels. "Pluck them? Eren, there's nothing left! Why would you want to pluck your eyebrows?" She held either side of Eren's face in her hands, turning his head to see if there was any way to salvage them.

"I didn't like them so bushy. I want them to look more like... yours or Mikasa's."

Carla sighed heavily. "Why didn't you ask for help?"

Eren only shrugged. He wanted to be able to do it himself and he thought that if he asked for assistance, he wouldn't get any. 

"Well, I can't make hair grow back, but let's see if I can fill them in with some eyeliner."

Eren was standing away from the couch, a bit apprehensive. "Mom?"

Carla looked up from her book. "Yes, sweetie?"

"Can you teach me how to wear makeup?"

Carla raised her brows in surprise. "You want to wear makeup?"

Eren nodded. "Mikasa doesn't wear makeup, so I couldn't ask her. I found a couple pictures in my magazines that I want to recreate."

"Eren, the people in your magazines are airbrushed and have professional makeup artists doing their makeup and have impeccable lighting. You won't be able to recreate what they look like so easily."

Eren deflated, putting his hands behind his back. "So, you won't teach me?"

"... I'll teach you, but I'm saying you won't be able to do anything extremely detailed or red carpet ready, do you understand?"

Eren nodded, beaming at his mother and running over to hug her, catching her off guard. Carla returned the hug, still surprised. "I didn't realize you wanted to learn so badly."

Eren was in his room, applying the skills his mother had taught him while adding in some techniques to test them out and trying to copy the look on the cover of his magazine. Throughout this he was attempting to block out the argument of his parents who were just outside his bedroom door.

"I don't see anything wrong with how he expresses himself, Grisha. We're always telling those two to be themselves, what message will it send if we tell him to stop?"

"He's a boy and he needs to start acting like one. I have no problem with him expressing himself, but this? It's unhealthy, I thought he'd grow out of this by now. He needs to be a man, he's graduating this year, but you've raised him to be a girl. You already have Mikasa, why does Eren have to dress like a woman too?"

Eren ignored his father's statement and picked up his contour, trying to soften his jawline.

"I didn't raise him to be anything but himself. It's not my influence, he likes dressing that way. I don't pick out his clothes, he does. I didn't force him to wear makeup, he asked me to teach him. I'm just giving him what he needs to be happy. It's time you do the same."

Eren nodded to himself, wishing he could high five his mother for that comeback, then started on his mascara. 

"... Are you implying that I don't want him to be happy? I want him to be happy just as much as you do." Eren heard a deep sigh. "Look, I don't care if he wants to be gay and go out with boys, I get that. But this? It's too different. I don't like it."

"Yeah? Well I love it. Do you know how many comments he gets when he goes out in public? Do you remember how much he used to get bullied? And he still wears it all. He's so unashamed to be himself and goddamn it, I wish I could do the same. I have plenty of old dresses I can't wear anymore because I'm getting too old. And I don't want people to look at me and judge me for trying to look young again when I'm clearly not. But Eren has already heard the judgment his whole life and he still doesn't stop. If it was really a phase or if he was being influenced by someone else, he would've stopped. But he loves looking the way he does. Just let him be happy."

"I'm trying to keep him from embarrassing himself and ruining his life." The voices grew closer. Grisha swung open his door without knocking. "Carla, this is what I mean. You can't say you're okay with this!"

Carla walked in behind him. "And what if I am?" She crossed her arms, turning to Eren. "Don't listen to him."

"Eren, why are you doing this? Are you doing this because you need more attention?"

Eren stared back, speechless.

"Is this... is your lifestyle because of what happened? When you were younger, is this because we didn't give you enough attention when you were a boy?"

Eren could feel his blood boiling after that.

"Is this all because of... what he did to you?"

"No!" Eren screamed. "Nothing I ever do is because of that! Don't you ever think I'd change because of what he did! Stop thinking I'd do anything for him!" It was literally ages ago, he was tired of people thinking his motive for everything they didn't like was because of that. Especially when they picked on something he loved and tried to tell him it was a coping mechanism. It ruined it for him. He didn't feel that he had the right to be so upset over what happened to him because for some people it was so much worse. And because of that, he hated when people still brought it up as if it was so bad for him that it was still relevant. In truth, it had severely affected him mentally. But he didn't let it show, because he felt he didn't deserve to still be traumatized over it.

"Eren, I'm trying to help you. Should we take you back to your therapist?"

"Shut up! He didn't even do anything!" Tears were forming in Eren's eyes. He knew what happened was wrong and illegal, but he wouldn't let himself believe he had it bad. It was only kissing. It was only touching. He would scream at himself that some people got beaten, some got raped, and he told himself he didn't have the right to be so hurt. 

"Yes, he did. It's okay if you're still hurt about it—"

"Well, I'm not!" Eren lied. 

"If this is your way of expressing your pain, then we can get you help so you can cope in a better way—"

"Shut the hell up!"

"Eren, it's not real."

Eren's visioned cleared slowly as his eyes focused on Levi. "What...?"

"You were talking in your sleep. Whatever you were dreaming about, it's not real," Levi whispered. 

Eren looked around, reminding himself where he was. He was with Levi and Isabel, in a hotel, trying to get some rest for how early he had to get up. "What did I say?"

"I couldn't make it out, but you sounded really upset."

Eren felt guilty for waking Levi. "Did I wake up Isabel?"

Levi looked over his shoulder, then shook his head. "Nah, it would take a train passing through the room to wake her."

Eren settled back down. "I'm sorry for waking you up."

Levi kissed his forehead, wrapping his arms around him. "Don't worry about it, beautiful. Let's just get back to sleep."

 

~

 

Isabel took the bathroom mirror in the morning to do her makeup while Eren opted for the one above the desk in the bedroom. Levi had finished getting ready and sat beside Eren, watching him put on eyeshadow.

"How're you feeling?"

Eren cocked a brow at him. "Good. Why do you ask?"

"You just seemed really shook up after your nightmare last night." Levi rubbed his arm, trying to comfort him.

"Oh, right. To be honest, I forgot about it."

Levi looked at him through the reflection sadly. "You have a lot of nightmares, is it okay if I ask what they're about?"

Eren sighed, picking up an eyeliner pencil. "They're all different."

"What was the one from last night about?"

"How I look... and how my body looks."

Levi furrowed his brows. "That was a nightmare?"

Eren nodded. "It just reminded me of why I wear makeup, why I dress the way I do... and why I hate my body." He kept his voice low so that Isabel wouldn't hear him from the other room. "You remember when you asked me why I wear bras under my clothes?"

Levi hummed affirmatively.

"That's how the dream started. Reminded me of what I don't have and how angry that makes me."

Levi never realized how much the way Eren saw his own body affected him. "It's that bad? It makes you feel angry? Baby doll, you have a beautiful body."

Eren gave a small smile for a couple seconds before it disappeared. "Thanks, but... no matter how much other people tell me that, I want to believe it myself. And with the way everything's shaped, I don't feel like my body's beautiful. Well... at least that part of it. I know it's weird for me to feel that way, since I'm a guy, but..." He shrugged, not sure how to finish that thought.

"I don't think it's weird. I can't relate, but how you feel isn't weird." Levi kissed his shoulder. 

Eren kissed him back. "Let's talk about something else."

Levi nodded. "If that's what you want."

 

~

 

The first day was a learning experience for Eren. Half of the time, he sat with Levi at his station, watching him give out amazing pieces of art, and the other half, he followed Isabel around to see the other artists and vendors. Isabel had been to a handful of tattoo conventions, so she knew her way around, but she had more freedom this time without her mother there. 

The second day started the same way, Levi being stuck at his station, working. He kept a professional attitude with everyone who showed up, but that changed when he saw a familiar face approach him and he dropped the stiff act. "Hey, Levi!"

"Hey, Nanaba. What's goin on?"

The woman stood in front of his set up with her hands on her hips. "I'm looking to get a tattoo."

"How convenient, I happen to do tattoos," Levi joked. "Come on around the table, I'll get something started for you."

Nanaba came behind the setup, waving at Levi's sister. "Hey, Izzy! Long time, no, see."

"Hi, Nanaba! Are you working in anything?"

"Nope, I'm taking some personal time off."

Before Levi got busy, he decided to give some introductions. "Nanaba, this is my boyfriend Eren. Eren, this is Nanaba. She's a good friend of mine, has been for years."

Eren shook her hand. "It's nice to meet you!"

"Nice to meet you too! I've been seeing a lot of you on Levi's Instagram and whatnot. Glad I can finally meet the glamorous man that stole Levi's heart."

"Stole it, ran with it and fled the country," Levi said, pulling out tracing paper, making everyone laugh. "Now, what do you got in mind?"

Nanaba sat in a chair. "I think it's time I had that trash polka tattoo I've been wanting. And I'm gonna get that sucker on my upper arm."

"What's trash polka?" Eren inquired, taking a seat next to Nanaba.

"It's a tattoo style that consists of realistic imagery, smears, kinetic designs all put together to make a disorderly finished piece," Levi explained. "Usually, red, black, and grey are the only colors used."

"That's sounds so cool."

"Mhm." Nanaba nodded. "That's why I got Levi here to do it justice."

Levi created an image rather quickly and got to doing the usual process of setting up and preparing Nanaba's arm. Isabel watched closely, never getting tired of seeing her big brother tattoo. Eren kept a more respectable distance, but watched with interest. 

Levi paused, right before inking the first line and looked over at his sister. "Izzy, take twenty bucks from the drawer and go get us something to eat. Anything's fine, I'm not picky."

"Alright." Isabel did as told and left

Eren quirked an eyebrow at Levi. "Isn't that a bad idea? Shouldn't you refrain from eating while tattooing?"

Levi got started on the first line, but could still carry the conversation. "Or maybe I just needed her gone and I know the lines are gonna be ridiculously long around now. Nanaba, tell Eren what you do for a living."

Both Eren and Nanaba seemed perplexed as to why he needed Isabel to leave, but they ignored it. 

"I do a lot of things," Nanaba said. "But mostly, I do special effects makeup for films and music videos. Probably nothing you've seen, I do work for a lot of indie projects, but that's basically it."

"Oh, that's awesome! I'm a makeup artist too."

"I could tell," Nanaba laughed.

"Tell him what you do on the side," Levi added without looking away from his work.

"When I'm not working for a production, I make and sell prosthetics."

"Who do you make 'em for?" Levi prompted.

Nanaba shrugged when Levi took the needle off her, not sure what he was getting at. "Everyone, I guess. I do monster prosthetics, old age prosthetics..." She tried thinking of every niche she catered to. "Alien prosthetics... prosthetics for drag queens..."

Levi sent Eren a look, but he missed his intentions.

"What do drag queens use prosthetics for?"

"A lot of things. They have padding for their hips and asses, of course. Also, I make breasts for them."

"Oh, I thought they just used padding for that. Or I've seen some of them with contouring on their chests to give it that effect."

"Many use those methods, some even get injections or work done, but for those who don't want to commit, but have something that looks real, I make chest pieces."

"That's fascinating," Eren noted.

Levi sent Eren another look, and he finally got what he was trying to convey. "Do you know how I told you I give a lot of my friends tattoos in exchange for favors?" Eren nodded. "Nanaba here is one of 'em."

Nanaba pulled up her pant leg to show off all the ink. "Levi gave me my whole left leg and a good portion of my right thigh." She looked over at the artist. "Why're you bringing it up? You want something?"

"Perhaps." Levi raised his brows at Eren, giving him an opportunity to speak up. "What do you think?"

Eren felt a burst of overwhelming emotions. An opening was just being handed to him. Nanaba looked over at him expectantly. "I... I don't know. It's not something I'm sure you can do for me."

"Trust me, angel. If anyone can do it, it's Nanaba."

"Yeah, what do you want?" Nanaba asked.

"Um..." Eren gulped. "Levi, could you ask? I don't know her that well."

Levi lowered his voice for Eren's comfort, knowing full well they wouldn't be heard anyway. "Do you think you can make a prosthetic for Eren? Something realistic and comfortable?"

"Of course! I can hook him up." Nanaba faced the man in question. "You don't gotta be shy with me, I can fix up something for you. How believable do you want them?"

Eren felt a blush creep up on his cheeks. "Um... as believable as you can make them if you can."

"No problem. Do you do drag?"

Eren shrank into himself, averting his eyes. "No, I just like... looking like this," he mumbled, gesturing to his makeup and dress.

"Say no more. If it's for everyday use, I'll make some specially for that, and I can show you how to blend the edges so it fades into your skin. That way, no matter what you're wearing or not wearing, people can't tell they're fake. I'll need to have some time with you, though. So I can measure you properly, record your skin tone and make something entirely custom made for you."

Eren lit up like a Christmas tree. "You can really do that?"

"Yup, and if it's a favor for Levi, it's the least I can do."

Eren chortled happily, feeling like he could cry tears of joy. "I'd hug you and Levi but I don't want to fuck up your tattoo."

 

~

 

Eren held Levi's hand, waiting in his living room on the couch, feeling anxious. Nanaba would be arriving that day to give him his prosthetic and show him how to wear it. 

"Baby, why are you so nervous?"

Eren sighed. "I'm worried... I'm wondering if it's not going to feel how I thought it would. And if it does, I'm terrified of what other people will think."

"What does it matter what they think?"

"I'm not talking about strangers, I'm talking about people I know and care about. Especially my parents and my friends. I'm scared they'll think that it's for some... sexual purpose. Either that or I'm scared they'll think I'm only doing it for cosmetic reasons." Eren took a shaky breath, nervous about his next confession. "And then there's you. I'm terrified of what you'll think."

Levi knitted his brows together. "What do you mean?"

"I don't want you to look at me differently for wearing it. I'm worried you'll be less attracted to me or you'll think less of me for wearing something like that or—"

"Babe, take a deep breath," Levi interrupted. "I'm not going to be less attracted to you. Nothing can take away your beauty. And I don't think less of you. It doesn't matter what the reason you're wearing the prosthetic is, because it's your choice. It wouldn't matter if you were wearing it for cosmetic reasons, sexual reasons, whatever. You're not hurting anybody. And I know that you're doing this because you said it would make you comfortable with your body. That's important, that'll make you happier, and all I want is for you to be happy."

Eren nodded, listening to what he had to say. He needed Levi to assure him. "What about other people?"

"Don't give a damn what everyone else thinks. If they care about you, they'll want you to do this because it's helping you. If they judge you, then they're not good enough for you. And if that doesn't settle your nerves, then talk to them about it before you wear it out so they understand what's going on before they see the change."

"Thank you, Levi."

Nanaba showed up, hauling boxes into Levi's house, confusing the other two. "Why do you have so many boxes? I thought you were just making one prosthetic," Levi pointed out.

Nanaba straightened her back after bringing in the last box. "True, but I also brought everything Eren would need for application and removal."

Eren may have been stressing himself out, but as soon as Nanaba came in, he could feel the rush of excitement.

Nanaba then addressed Eren. "Alright, here's what I got for you. I've got two prosthetics, one is a backup. I spent extra time on them so they're extremely durable, sweat proof, waterproof, hard to tear, the whole shabang. It's unlikely that one will get ruined, but if by some act of god that happens, you'll have an extra. They're both already matched to your skin tone and they'll blend right in."

She walked over to another set of boxes. "This is full of your adhesive. You've got enough to last you a couple years, supposing you use it everyday. And that's because a little goes a long way, so it'll be awhile before you run out. Next boxes, these have the solvent. Lasts the same amount of time, gets off the adhesive real easy without messing with the prosthetic. If you need anything, solvent, adhesive, god forbid a new prosthetic, tell Levi to inform me and I'll hook you up."

Eren fell breathless looking at all the boxes, trying to process that someone did this all for him. 

"What say you, kid? Wanna try it out?" Nanaba prompted, seeing how excited he looked.

Eren nodded frantically. "Yes.

 

~

 

Eren looked at himself in the mirror, examining his frame the way he did for years, only this time he saw what he wanted to see in his reflection. Levi couldn't tell what he was thinking based on his expression. "What do you think? Is it like how you thought it would be?"

Eren shook his head. "Better." He'd picked out a dress a week before Nanaba's arrival that would fit better and to see the way it fit him perfectly felt indescribable. "You can't even see the edges."

"I'll show you later how to take it off," Nanaba added. "It looks great."

"Thank you." Eren's eyes became glassy the more he looked. "Can I hug you?" 

"Of course," Nanaba beamed, welcoming him into his arms.

Levi was aware that this was important to Eren and how he saw himself but he may have underestimated how positively it would affect him. He didn't imagine it would bring him to tears of joy. He didn't know how long Eren wanted this, but he got the impression that it was too long. And he made the commitment to protect his lover from anyone who would try to shame him for his choice or try to take away his newfound happiness because they didn't agree with it.

Eren turned around to Levi, giving him a hug as well. "Thank you, too."

Levi gladly accepted the embrace. "Anything for you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I really wanted to show representation for people who express themselves like Eren and feel like him too. I hope you guys liked it!
> 
> If you did like it, please leave a comment or kudos! I'm sorry for any errors, I don't edit. My tumblrs are dr-s--art, the-witch-daddy, and extraeren. Thank you so much for reading!


	20. Black and Grey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren fears that Levi loses interest in him, so he gets a little makeover.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really stressed right now, so I'm just gonna post a filler chapter to take my mind off stuff. Enjoy!

"Why did I agree to let you do this?"

"Because you love me. Hold still!"

"I feel like your pointy nails are gonna cut me."

"I promise, you will not be harmed by my stilettos."

"... I thought stilettos were shoes."

"They are, but this shape of nail is also called stiletto."

"Ow!"

"You didn't stay still."

"How do you do this everyday?" Levi whined while Eren added eyeliner to his waterline. 

"Stop being so fussy, it's not that bad."

Eren asked Levi if he could do his makeup, claiming he had a 'vision' and needed to bring it to life. Levi, being a fool in love, agreed without a second thought. "What did you have in mind when you decided to paint my face?"

"I had this dream that you were rocking a sexy, gothic, glamorous, drag look and by the way this is going, I am not disappointed."

"Is this gonna make me question how I've been living my life?"

"It just might." Eren took out a pair of false eyelashes, adding glue to the strips. "Just gotta pop these on and you'll be set."

Levi glared at the falsies. "... Will I go blind?"

"Only if you don't cooperate." 

Levi squirmed and fidgeted, doing absolutely nothing but making the process more difficult for the both of them. But with due time, and a lot of struggling, the lashes were set in place and Eren declared that he was finished. "Babe... you are really hot right now. Like, you're always hot, but this is a good look for you."

Levi looked in the mirror and didn't even recognize himself. "Elvira, is that you?"

Eren giggled at his reaction. "I'd say your eye makeup is heavier than Elvira's. More black too."

"I... feel so powerful."

"Right?"

"Now, I know what happened to Izzy. I want all my exes to beg for me to take them back just so I can deny them one by one. I am a force to be reckoned with."

Eren pulled out his phone and started snapping pictures. "I'm gonna frame these and put them on my wall."

"Do it." Levi couldn't stop staring at himself. "Give me a drag name, quick."

"Hm... Ryder DeCoques!"

"It's got an innuendo in the name, I'm feelin' it, Eren." Levi couldn't stop looking at himself, switching up the angles. 

"You're the loveliest lady in all the land." Eren kissed his cheek. "Can I post a picture of this?"

"Only if you're also in the picture after I do your makeup."

Eren sighed. "That's fair."

"Take off what you got on and let me work my magic."

 

~

 

Eren and Sasha went on a shopping trip on one of their shared days off, wandering about the mall and sitting down after grabbing lunch. "Have you checked my Instagram lately?" Eren asked.

"No, I've been busy all week, I eat dinner then pass out the second I get home."

Eren pulled out his phone, searching for a specific set of photos. "You've gotta see this. Levi let me do his makeup and I was living."

"Shut up! What look did you go for?" Sasha said, slamming a hand in the table.

"I felt that glam goth would suit Levi the best, and this is what I came up with." He showed the picture to Sasha, smiling with pride when she dropped her jaw. "Isn't he gorgeous?"

"I'm drooling."

"Well, keep it in your mouth. He's mine." Eren took his phone back. 

"You look pretty snazzy too."

"Thanks, Levi wasn't as bad as I thought he'd be. Although he is an artist, so that helped. And he watches me do my makeup, so he knew what he was doing."

"I'm jealous. You and Levi are such a perfect couple. Where can I get me a man like that?"

Eren smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. 

"What's that about?" Sasha asked, sipping on her straw.

"What's what about?"

"That wistful little look you had. You look like a widow thinking fondly on her long since passed lover. Spill the beans, something going on with you and Levi?"

Eren scoffed. "No! Everything's perfect. Everything's going... just great. Like it always is."

"Yeah, I'm not buyin' it. It's okay, you can tell me. I've known you since college." She reached across the table and set her hand on Eren's. "Talk to me, tell your big sister Sasha what's going on."

Eren relented, letting out a heavy breath. "It's just that... I don't know. Nothing's technically wrong, I think I'm just being self conscious. We have a good time whenever we're together, we don't really argue, we're both head over heels for each other—"

"Quit bragging and get to venting."

Eren huffed out a small laugh, but his smile went away again. "Everything's perfect between us... but I just feel that Levi's not as... attracted to me as he used to be. I don't doubt that he still loves me and wants to be with me. I just think he's getting bored with how I look. He doesn't stare at me like he used to. Not that I need him to fawn over me to be happy, but you know. I like the attention."

Sasha nodded, taking on the role of Eren's psychiatrist. "No, I get it. Do you think it's because of your new tatas? Which look great, by the way"

Eren chuckled at that. "Thanks. But, no. It started about a couple weeks ago, so that's a long time after I got my prosthetic. I know that my aesthetic isn't what he's normally into, so I'm scared that he'll get bored with me or how I look. I'm afraid it's already happened."

"Eren, that's ridiculous! It's impossible to get bored with you for any reason. You're a goddamn delight. You've told me he's in love with you, so something like how you look isn't gonna change that. Not that anyone could think you're unattractive on any level, but you get what I'm saying."

Eren leaned his elbows on the table, suddenly tired. "Thank you, Sasha. But what I'm feeling is hard to put into words. I just want Levi to be in love with every little thing about me because that's how I feel about him. And it really worries me that he might lose interest in even the most insignificant things. And I know that everyone has flaws and it might be self centered to ask that of him, but Sasha I love everything about him. There isn't a damn thing I'd change, and I want someone to feel like that about me and I want that person to be Levi."

Sasha couldn't relate, but she knew she wanted to help her friend. So, she started to conjure up a solution. "Well, the sooner you realize that Levi isn't perfect, the easier it'll be for you to feel better about yourself. Don't put him on a pedestal. And, I've got an idea."

Eren perked up. "Yeah?"

"I'm not saying you should change yourself for anybody, but a makeover might make you feel better. Some new clothes, something to make you feel sexy. How about we look around so you can treat yourself to things you and Levi will both like?"

 

~

 

The two had shopped for a few new outfits and accessories to give Eren a confidence boost, but he thought it would take much more to get Levi's attention.

Eren only picked out clothes that he thought Levi would like or would've liked to see him in. On terms of color, it was the dullest ensemble he owned. All black. He was observant on the kind of styles Levi gravitated towards, and anyone who'd known him for more than five seconds could get a good idea of his preferences.

Eren slid on a ruffled skirt over torn fishnets and buckled up a pvc corset over a black, lace top that exposed his shoulders and arms. He huffed frustratedly at the lack of color, but this was for Levi. He'd do whatever it took. Next, he put in the pointed, platform pikes he found after hitting the thrift shop with Sasha. And last was accessories. A spiked necklace with o-rings, matching bracelets, not much else other than small, silver earrings. He attempted to envision the feminine version of how Levi would dress if he was so inclined, and this was the image he came up with.

He didn't entirely hate his makeup, he never really could. He repeated all the steps to create Levi's makeup from days ago, putting on a dark, smokey, yet angular eye look, heavy contouring and a red lip that faded to black towards the edge. He looked at himself in the mirror, deeming his look ready, but he didn't feel like himself. It was an old and familiar feeling to be dressing differently to please another, but this time around, he was convinced it was worth it.

The drive to Levi's work was nerve wracking. He just wanted him to show interest in him the way he did when they started dating. Pulling into the parking lot, he took a deep breath, preparing to do what he did best; acting. It was one thing to change his look, but now he had to sell it.

He walked in the shop, hearing the chime of the bell and started to worry when he saw a couple of people already in the waiting area. He stepped up to the front desk, throwing on a look of confidence. "Hanji?"

Hanji looked up from their paperwork. "Eren, my god. You look incredible!"

"Thank you." Eren felt relieved that someone could confirm that he didn't look like he didn't know what he was doing. Usually, he would've thanked them with a beaming smile, but since he was in character, he held back, giving them a more subtle expression. He looked over his shoulder at the people waiting, then back. "Is Levi busy?"

"No, they're here for Petra. He's got twenty minutes before he should start setting up again."

"That's all I need, thanks Hanji."

"No problem!"

Eren sauntered into the back room, waving hello to Petra as she stared at him, setting up her station. He turned, sneaking up on Levi while he worked in his chair and tapped his shoulder to gain his attention.

Levi spun in his chair, bored, but that changed when his eyes landed on Eren. His eyes widened to the size of saucers and his mouth dropped for a few seconds before he caught himself. "Whoa," he breathed.

"Hi, Levi." Eren smirked.

"Holy sh- Eren? What's going on?"

Eren sat in Levi's lap, throwing and arm around his shoulder and crossing his legs. "I just wanted to visit you while you were free, is that so bad?"

"Um- no! Not at all." Levi's mouth went dry as he set a hand on Eren's thigh, trying to take in everything at once. "What's... what's up with the outfit? Where're all your colors?"

Eren shrugged, running his hand through Levi's hair. "Just trying something new, I thought it would be fun. What do you think? Do you like it?"

"Yeah, definitely." Levi nodded quickly. "It's just that it's so different from how you normally express yourself."

"A little change can be good. Do you think I could spend the night at your place tonight?" Eren dragged his hand down Levi's collar bone and onto his chest.

"This is a public place," Petra butted in. "And that's bordering pornography. I'm gonna have to ask you two to keep it in your pants."

Eren chuckled and Levi was mesmerized by the sound. "Don't worry, Petra. I'll be leaving shortly anyways." He faced Levi again. "What do you think? You want some company?"

Levi nodded, not trusting himself with words. 

"Good." Eren leaned in, giving Levi a kiss on the jaw, taking his sweet time and priding himself when he saw the mark it left and the redness of Levi's cheeks. "I'll see you tonight. I love you."

"I love you, too." Levi could do nothing but look on in his wake, still frozen long after he left.

"That was wild," Petra commented.

"What just happened?"

"Eren must be desperate for your attention. And I'll kill you if you deprive him of any after all that work he did."

Levi couldn't wrap his head around the situation. "That almost didn't feel right. It felt kinda... forced." That was too unlike Eren and it concerned him that he had no idea what brought on the change.

"I don't see what you're complaining about. He just got dolled up for you."

Levi scratched his head in thought. "Obviously, and I have no complaints on his appearance, but it kinda felt like he was a different person. I don't know if that makes sense."

"New clothes don't make you a new person."

"I know that. I'm more concerned with how he acted. Yeah, he was definitely trying to get... a reaction out of me, and admittedly, it worked. But it didn't feel like how he usually tries to do that."

"How so?"

"I can't explain it..." Levi would have to have a talk with Eren later that night.

 

~

 

Eren checked his teeth in his rearview mirror to be sure he had no lipstick on them before leaving his car. He forced his nerves down, walking up to Levi's door. Insecurity never got him anywhere, so he needed to come across as coolly confident. He'd changed into a black dress, took off the fishnets and put on plain, black pumps. He wanted to be ready for when everything had to go.

Levi opened the door for him, smiling upon seeing him and let him come in, hearing the click of his heels. "Hey, beautiful."

Eren didn't waste any time in wrapping his arms around Levi, greeting him with a kiss. "Hey," he murmured, his lips mere centimeters away from Levi's. He pulled away, holding onto Levi's hands as he led him upstairs.

"Angel, can I talk to you about something?" Levi asked as they made their way into his bedroom. He didn't expect to be thrown off balance as Eren pinned him to the bed, kissing his jawline and down his neck.

"Can it wait?" Eren murmured, unbuttoning Levi's shirt and pushing it out of the way, feeling up his torso.

Levi's eyes fluttered shut at the feeling of Eren's hands and mouth on him, working wonders. "As much as I love what you're doing right now, no it can't." 

Eren sat back, eyeing Levi worriedly. "Is something wrong?"

"That's what I was going to ask." Levi sat up, gaining some space from his boyfriend while still sitting beside him. "What's going on?"

Eren knitted his brows together, confused. "What do you mean?"

Levi gestured to Eren's ensemble. "This, what's all of this about?"

"I told you. I just wanted to try something new." Eren suddenly feared that he'd gone in the wrong direction. "Do you not like it?"

"No, no, I like it. It's just... I feel like there's something you're not telling me. I feel like something made you do this, am I wrong?"

Eren averted his eyes. Was he really that easy to read?

"Baby?" Levi persisted, taking Eren's hand in his. "Are you okay?"

Eren shook his head, now second guessing himself. "It's stupid."

"I don't think it's stupid. Not if it matters to you." Levi hated when he downplayed his concerns, he wanted him to know that how he felt was important. He hated wondering if Eren thought that his feelings were a burden.

"No... I guess I was overreacting."

"About what?" 

Eren shrunk into himself. "You'll tell me I was being stupid. And I was."

"Eren," Levi said, gently caressing the side of his face. "That's not true, I would never say that to you. Just tell me what's going on and we'll talk it out, okay?"

Eren exhaled heavily, preparing himself for possible judgment. "You know how I walked in the shop this morning and you couldn't stop watching? How you just stared and didn't take your eyes off me?"

"Yeah," Levi said amusedly.

Eren smiled at him sadly. "It's been awhile since you looked at me like that."

Levi's face fell. 

"I wanted to get you interested again."

"Did... did you think I lost interest in you?"

"I told you it was stupid." Eren turned away, embarrassed that he let his self consciousness get the best of him again. "I thought you got bored with me or how I look."

Levi's heart broke, and he took Eren's shoulders and made him face him. "Listen to me, okay? People who have crushes lose interest or get bored with someone. That can't happen to us because I'm in love with you. I'm head over heels, one hundred percent in love with you, and you don't just 'lose interest' when you're in love. I'm not gonna lie to you to spare your feelings, I'm genuinely upset that you don't think more of yourself."

Eren didn't want to upset Levi. He hated hurting him because of his own insecurities. This was the longest relationship he'd ever had and he was so scared to lose him.

"Don't ever think that I'll be done with you. Don't ever think I'll get bored of you. Why would you think that was happening?"

Eren shrugged. "Wouldn't be the first time for me," was all he said.

"Did people in your past relationships say they were bored with you?"

Eren nodded. "Once they didn't want me anymore or found someone better, they threw me away. Every time. I don't want you to leave me, I love you."

"I could never leave you," Levi promised, holding the sides of Eren's face as he kissed his forehead. 

Eren gave a sigh of relief. "So... just out of curiosity, how would you prefer me to look?"

Levi grinned at him. "I would prefer you to wear what you love wearing. You're beautiful no matter what, but you're most beautiful when you're happy."

Eren chuckled, finally smiling again in that way that Levi adored.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you liked this, please leave a comment or kudos! My tumblrs are dr-s--art, the-witch-daddy and extraeren. I'm sorry for any errors I don't edit. Thanks for reading! <3


	21. Watercolor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren and Levi consider living together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woooo it's really late, and this chapter jumps a lot, but whatevs.
> 
> Also there is now fan art for this fic!!! It's so lovely and it made me so happy, the link is in chapter 12!
> 
> Happy Friday, enjoy!

Hanji walked into the back room after the phone being silent for too long to check in on Eren's progress with Levi. "Oh, this is so exciting! You're getting your first big boy tattoo!"

Eren laughed. "Hey, my other tattoo was a decent size!"

"I'm just teasing you. But this definitely took you long enough, it's been a year since your first one. What gives?"

"This is going to sound ridiculous, but I couldn't decide which arm I wanted it on," Eren admitted.

"Don't be ashamed of taking your time to choose the placement," Levi said, carefully placing the stencil on his boyfriend's arm. "It's gonna be on your body forever, take all the damn time in the world."

"Enough with that responsibility talk, let me see the tat." Hanji leaned to the side to get a better look at the design. "Oh, that's so cool! Is that a castle made out of crystals?"

"Mhm." Eren nodded, smiling down at his arm. "It's got a lot of little fairy tale elements hidden here and there, but Levi made sure they weren't so small that they'd get lost."

Hanji searched a bit more, finding small images throughout the piece. "I can't wait to see it when it's done. Petra! You're missing this!"

Petra chuckled, working on someone's leg piece. "I know! One of these days, Eren'll have to get a tattoo when I'm not busy."

"One day!" Eren agreed.

Levi sat back, inspecting the outline. "Alright. Go take a look, make sure it's just how you want it."

Eren hopped out of the chair and hurried over to the mirror. It was a large piece compared to the butterfly on his arm, but he'd taken his first tattoo well enough, so he was confident enough to sit through this session without a problem. 

"Lookin' good," Hanji praised. "What colors you hoping to get?"

"All of them. Levi showed me some watercolor pieces he's done, so I decided I want this to be in watercolor style. I think it'll give it a dreamy, fantasy look."

"Nice."

Eren gave it one last look. "I love it."

"Alright, then get your butt back in the chair and we'll start on your grownup tattoo," Levi prompted, slapping the seat of the chair.

Eren rolled his eyes. "You guys are acting like my other one was tiny."

"It's not that your other one is tiny," Levi said, readying his tattoo machine. "It's just that this one is... kinda big. And detailed."

"What he means to say is, we're worried for you," Hanji filled in. 

Eren scoffed, feeling a tad offended. "If I can't handle it, I'll let you know," he told Levi. "But I can handle it."

 

~

 

Levi let Eren curl into his side, keeping his freshly tattooed arm up so there was no pressure on it. He kept an arm on his back so that he wouldn't roll over in his sleep and hurt the tender skin. "Honestly, what would you do without me if I wasn't here to protect your arm?" Levi joked.

"I know, right? It would be a disaster. I'd have to actually sleep on my side, all by myself. What a bother."

Levi chuckled lightly. "You should just stay here until your arm heals up. Or longer."

Eren cuddled closer to Levi, resting his head on his chest. "I'd love to, but I have to go home some time." He didn't like coming to terms with that, and even though it wasn't a big inconvenience, he didn't want to leave.

"I'll kidnap you and keep you here as prisoner," Levi said in mock threat. 

"Is that supposed to intimidate me? I'll help you fake my disappearance."

"Don't tempt me."

Eren laughed, hearing Levi do the same. 

Levi stared up at the ceiling, rubbing circles into Eren's soft skin. They'd been dating for nearly two years, he didn't see them separating any time soon, or at all. And he would give up so much to be able to wake up every morning and see his lover's face beside him. He'd love to make dinner with him every night, come home to him after work, and be surrounded by him whenever he was home. Eren was his home.

"What if I didn't have to kidnap you?"

"That would definitely make things easier for the authorities."

Levi snorted. "No, like... what if you moved in?"

Eren looked up at him. "Do you want me to?"

Levi hoped he wouldn't be scaring him off by asking. "Yeah... if you'd like to, then I wouldn't mind. I definitely have enough space for you to move in."

Eren tilted his head back down, thinking over his options. Levi felt nervous, unable to see his expression, but he was grinning, too eager for his own good. "Hm... after I moved out of my parents' house, I never lived with another person. Well, except for Sasha, when she was my roommate in college, but that didn't last long."

"You don't have to say yes, but the invitation is open. And I'd love to live with you, but I don't want to pressure you to make a decision."

Eren nodded in acknowledgement. "I'm not opposed to it."

"You're not?"

"Not at all. I have a lot of things to consider before making a decision. If I do say yes, I'd wanna wait until spring because there's no way in hell I'm moving my things in winter."

"Understandable." Levi was just glad he wasn't given a flat out 'no.' He'd be fine if Eren eventually came to the decision that it wasn't what he wanted, but he didn't think he could take an immediate rejection. 

"I'll think about it," Eren promised. 

 

~

 

Hanji shook off the extra snow, coming into Levi's house. "Jesus, it's freezing!" They shivered. "I don't know what project you want my help with, but it better be worth driving out in the snow like this for a few weeks."

"Consider it overtime," Levi reasoned, crossing his arms. "I'll pay you by the hour."

"Ah, yeah? And what is it I gotta do?" Hanji shuffled their boots off to the side and shrugged off their coat. "Paperwork? Filing your shit? Manual labor?"

"Ding, ding, ding," Levi said, holding up three fingers.

"Aw, come on! You know I have a bad back!"

"And I don't? I'm slouching over strangers everyday," Levi countered.

"Whatever." They fixed their glasses, setting down their bag. "What's the project?"

"As you know, yesterday was New Years. Guess what Eren did right before it hit midnight."

Hanji rolled their eyes. "Levi, I don't wanna hear the details of your sexual fantasies being fulfilled—"

"Not that! Christ..."

"I give up, what did he do?"

"He gave me an answer. He's moving in with me."

Hanji clapped their hands together. "Seriously? Levi, that's great! I'm so happy for you two!"

"Thanks. And that brings me to the project. I'm sure he's not fond of all the monochrome going on in the house, so I wanna redo one of the spare rooms so he can have his own makeup studio or private room or whatever he wants to use it for. It's not exactly a one-man job."

"That's so sweet! I'll do it for Eren... and the money. But mostly for Eren."

"What about me?"

"Did I stutter?"

Levi frowned. "Let's just get to work, I got some paint ready and I got started by tearing the carpet up. Let's go."

"I can't do that just yet. Do you know what happened two years, eight months and approximately twenty-seven days ago?"

"... Oh, sure. I got a haircut," Levi drawled.

"Wrong." Hanji stepped back over to their bag, unzipping it. Levi knew what it was before they even uncovered it. Hanji unwrapped the package and showed their friend a jar filled nearly to the brim with stars, grinning when Levi feigned annoyance. "You quit smoking! It's been a thousand days, I'm so proud of you!"

Levi couldn't help but show a faint smile. "Thanks."

"This sucker is heavy! Do you want to display it here or at work on your station."

Levi had to admit, (though never out loud and never to Hanji), he was proud of himself and he was glad to have a friend that cared enough to keep track of his progress. "I'll keep it at my station." He wanted them to see that he wouldn't hide it.

"Awesome!" Hanji tucked the jar away and stood back up, bringing Levi into a hug, much to his irritation. "Doesn't it feel great?"

"Amazing," he deadpanned.

 

~

 

"I don't understand why I can't start moving my things over to your place," Eren complained, throwing folded up dresses into a box. "I don't need an extra hand if that's what you're concerned with."

"I told you, I've got some repairs I need to do." Levi helped wrap his more delicate items in bubble wrap.

"I can stay out of your way, I just want to start moving things over so we can get that part over and done with."

Levi wanted him to stay out of the house until his room was finished. He didn't want him stumbling in there on accident if it wasn't complete. "I'll do most of the work if that's what you're worried about. I just want the house to be ready for you when we start the moving process."

Eren sighed. "I don't see why I can't at least move a few of the heavier things into your place while we wait."

Levi pulled Eren in by the waist, hugging him close to him. "Not my place. Our place. And I know you're anxious, I am too. Just trust me on this, okay?"

Eren relented, pecking Levi on the lips. "Alright." He turned around and got to packing again.

"It'll be worth it, I promise."

"I trust you." Eren moved on to pack up the hair supplies that he didn't use on the daily and it made him think. He was moving in with Levi, leaving his home of many years, perhaps it was time for another change. "Hey, Levi?"

"Yeah?"

Eren turned around, balancing himself against his dresser to take a break. "What would you think if I dyed my hair?"

Levi shrugged, setting down one item he finished wrapping and started on another. "Depends, what color?"

Eren wanted to see his honest reaction, so he threw out some random suggestions. "What if... I went blond?"

"Then you'd be my sexy boyfriend with blond hair."

Eren snickered. "And what if I dyed my hair... blue?"

"Then you'd be my sexy boyfriend with blue hair."

"Are you not gonna give me any more input than that?"

Levi tossed a smile at him. "It's your hair, gorgeous. Do what you want with it." He refocused himself on his work. "When are you thinking of doing it?"

"I'm not sure yet. But soon, I feel like it would be a good time."

"How about this? If you get your hair done on next Friday, I'll pick you up after work and by then, the house will be ready. It'll be a whole day of fun new shit for you. How's that sound?"

Eren giggled at Levi's crass way of putting things. "Sounds good to me."

 

~

 

"Oh my god..."

"Do you like it?"

"I fucking love it."

Eren's hair was dyed to a beautiful, vibrant purple that suited his personality perfectly. Levi was almost worried that it was so blinding that he'd be distracted while driving. "... Can I touch it?"

"It feels exactly the same, but sure?" Eren laughed.

Levi reached over, running his fingers through his vibrant locks. "It suits you."

"Thanks, I'm really happy with it. Now, take me to my apartment so we can start the move," he demanded. 

Levi smirked at him. "Fine, a deal is a deal." They drove from the salon to Eren's apartment, picking up as many boxes as they could that would fit in their cars, then they each drove to Levi's house.

"I'm surprised that most of my things fit," Eren said, pulling boxes out if the trunk of his car. "Looks like we only have to make one more trip back."

Levi opened the door and brought on a few boxes. "Let's bring these upstairs, I cleared up a place for you to put them." He and Hanji worked so hard on his new room and it had taken so long, he didn't want to wait any longer for Eren to see it.

"All the way upstairs? Won't that take longer?" Eren asked, following Levi. "I'd rather just get all the boxes inside and worry about placement later."

"Just trust me on this." Levi reached the top of the stairs and waited for Eren to catch up before leading him to his room. 

Eren paused at the top, sitting on the highest step and setting down his boxes. "I'm not gonna keep doing that in these shoes." He shoved off his heels, taking a deep breath.

Levi was growing impatient. He wanted to see the look on Eren's face already. "Babe, can you get the door for me? My hands are full."

"Sure thing." Eren stood and pushed open the door without sparing a glance inside before returning to a sitting position to rest his feet.

Levi rolled his eyes. "Hey, wanna bring those boxes in here before you take a break?"

Eren shrugged. "I guess." He brought the boxes with him, walking past Levi and stopping in his tracks as he stepped foot in the room. Every word he could think to speak was caught in his throat and he couldn't take in everything fast enough.

Levi had put in a new, grass green carpet that looked similar to the ones in Eren's apartment. He'd painted the walls in all different colors with the help of Hanji and painted murals on a couple sides. The two brought in vibrant furniture, consisting of a bright blue desk with a matching dresser, a couple chairs and benches in colorful patterns, and even a bed with pillows and blankets already set out. Levi had bought several small decorations for the shelves he put in so they wouldn't seem bare when Eren arrived. He picked this room for his boyfriend with the window in mind as well, thinking he would love the seat that was built in beneath it. It had been a guest room, that was rarely used and it would've been a waste for it to go unappreciated. 

Eren couldn't decide what to look at, his gaze was constantly being drawn in by a different feature. He set down his boxes, not sure that he could hold them for much longer after seeing such a magnificent room.

"How do you like your room?"

Eren locked eyes with Levi. "M-My room?"

Levi nodded, grinning. "Yeah, this is all yours."

Eren's eyes widened and he went back to studying the space.

"Obviously, this isn't your only place to keep your things. You can put your belongings all through the house because, well... it's ours. But I thought you would like to have at least one room all to yourself." Levi took Eren's hands in his and led him around. "I know that because the walls are such bright colors, they might affect how you see things, so I made sure the lamp on the desk has a realistic daylight... light. I did the same for the other lamps. Hanji put up that mirror, and also the long one over there, so you can look at your entire outfit. I see all the 'outfit of the day' posts on your Instagram. Figured it'd come in handy."

Levi took him over to the bed. "I know how much you like fairy tales, so Hanji and I set up a canopy over your bed, to make you feel like a prince and shit. It was a bitch to center, but I think we did alright. There's a little chandelier in there too. Nothing fancy, but it's pretty and it could be useful if you wanna sit here at night and read or something." Levi grew nervous when Eren wouldn't say anything.

"And over here..." Levi took Eren up a step towards the back of the room. "Hanji had this old neon light from the nineties that they were gonna get rid of, but it seemed like something you'd enjoy, so..." Levi bent down to plug it in, and the set of lips on the wall glowed bright red. "Still works great. And in here..." Levi stepped to a doorway, holding beaded curtains out of the way. "This is your walk-in closet. You can still use that dresser and you can keep things in our bedroom, but you got a lot of clothes. And your closet back at your apartment seemed cramped, so you know."

Levi bit his lip, wondering why Eren couldn't speak. "Um... I made sure your nightstand was close to an outlet. I know how much you love your lava lamp. And I already set up hooks for your fairy lights that you had in your old living room. Just need to unbox them now. I put so many shelves everywhere because I could see back at your apartment how many knickknacks you collected. Wanted there to be room for 'em... It could still use touches here and there. If there's anything you don't like, I'll get right on changing it. And Hanji did half of the work, so- baby? Why are you crying?"

Even Eren seemed surprised by his overwhelming emotions. He held a hand to his eye, noticing the tear that escaped. "It's just... Levi, you didn't have to do this. You and Hanji both... you didn't have to."

Levi held Eren's waist, pulling him close. "I know I didn't, but I wanted to. Do you not like it?"

Eren shook his head, laughing. "Of course I like it, it's amazing! Is this why I couldn't be here for so long? This is your 'repairs' you had to finish?"

"Yeah, I wanted it to be a complete surprise. Couldn't take any chances."

Eren set his forehead against Levi's. "You're perfect. Thank you so much for this."

"Anything for you." Levi gave him a quick kiss.

Eren shook his head, not understanding how Levi could be so kind to him. "Why do you always do this? Why are you always going out of your way to spoil me for no reason?"

Levi smirked up at him. "I do these things for you because you appreciate them."

Eren gave him a funny look. "What?"

"Because you appreciate them. You've never taken anything I've given you for granted. I give you these things because I love to see how happy they make you, I'd never give you something you didn't want or didn't have a use for. And so far, everything I've given you, you've showed me how much you appreciate them. Remember those shoes I bought you the first time I took you shopping? I only remember that because you still wear them all the time."

"Well, of course. I love them, and you spent a lot of money on them. It would be terrible for that to go to waste."

"Exactly. You know I get a lot of things for my little sister, right?" Levi rolled his eyes. "I get her things she wants and she's grateful, but whatever I get her, she's done with it a month later. I still get things for her because I love her, but I think she takes it for granted. But I don't waste money on people I don't care about. When I give you things, you just... you get this look on your face. A look like you just won something and you've got this beautiful smile. And afterwards, you take care of whatever it is I gave you, like when I had your car fixed up. You gave it special attention to keep it in good shape, but you also took it out more because you liked it so much. I spoil you because you don't take it for granted and I love you and the way you look when I do these things."

Eren sighed, staring back at Levi incredulously. "You're crazy."

Levi knitted his brows together. 

"You realize I'd be happy and love you just the same if you didn't spoil me, right? I'm most grateful for our time together, not the things you get for me. You don't have to do all this."

"You deaf? I said I want to do it."

Eren chuckled, wrapping his arms around Levi's shoulders. "I love you so much. Thank you for this."

"I love you, too. Now come on, let's get you settled in."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you liked this please leave a comment or kudos, they're greatly appreciated! I'm sorry for any errors, I don't edit. My tumblrs are dr-s--art, the-witch-daddy and extraeren. Thanks for reading! <3


	22. Dot Work

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren's birthday gets nearer and nearer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was checking to see what chapter was next and I saw how short this one was, so I'll just upload it now! Enjoy!

Levi worked on a painting while Eren took off his makeup after a long day at work. "Whatcha painting?"

"Godzilla fighting Mothra."

Eren looked over his shoulder at Levi. "... Really?"

"Yeah, did a dotted Mothra tattoo earlier and now I can't stop thinking about it." Levi was still in the beginning stages of his painting, blocking out shapes, so the overall idea hadn't come across yet.

Eren finished cleaning up his face and stood by Levi, watching him work and getting lost in the way he made marks so skillfully. 

"What do you want for your birthday?"

Eren snorted. "You asked me like twelve times already."

"Yeah, and you said 'nothing' every time. That's bullshit, just tell me everything you want. Even if it's something little."

Eren hummed, pondering it over. "All I want from you is your love and affection."

"Goddamn it, something you don't already have."

Eren giggled, kissing the side of Levi's face. "You don't need to get me anything special. Maybe some makeup remover, I'm running out, so I need that."

"That's not fun, though. I mean, I'll get that for you, but I want to get you something fun."

"Buy me a funny card."

"... You're killing me here."

"Alright, fine. Is birthday sex an acceptable answer?"

Levi paused. "You were getting that anyway!"

"Shh! It was supposed to be a surprise!"

Levi rolled his eyes, cleaning off his paint brush. "... How about this? I'll get some things to make your birthday sex a little more interesting. Anything you want or wanna try out?"

Eren sighed. "You don't need to buy me anything! Just spend time with me."

"Is it so wrong to want to get you a few nice birthday presents? I know we haven't tried everything you're into and you're always staring at that sex shop whenever we pass it, so out with it."

Eren relented, walking over to the bed and dropping himself unceremoniously onto the mattress. "Well... the cuffs we use kinda dig into my hands. We could get some padded ones."

"Nice, pink, fuzzy ones?"

Eren giggled, staring up at the ceiling. "Why not?"

Levi smirked to himself. "That's one thing, what else?"

"Um... they've got this pink, round plug. A vibrator would be nice... and I've always wanted a princess plug. And they've got a couple lubes I wanna try out, but I'm not sure if you'd be into them."

Levi turned in his seat. "Why?"

"Well... one is a glitter lube."

Levi cocked an eyebrow at him. "That's a real thing?"

"Yeah! And the other one is made out of Rose Quartz."

"... How?"

"I don't know, I'm not a geologist. They even have a dildo made out of solid Rose Quartz to go with it, it's insane. And they've got some lingerie I've been eyeing... a couple corsets, a harness in all these different colors. I also wanna get some things that you're interested in. We haven't tried out everything your into either."

"It's your birthday," Levi said. "It's all about what you want, not what I want."

Eren rolled onto his stomach, setting his head on his forearms. "And I want to explore your kinks," he challenged.

Levi loved it when Eren sassed him. He loved whenever he tried to push back in a playful way. "Oh really? I hate to break it to you, but you're probably not gonna be up for any of it."

"Try me."

"Alright." Levi set down his brush and leaned back in his chair. "How do you feel about rope?"

"I've done worse," Eren yawned. 

"How do you feel about collars?"

"Done and done."

"Paddles?"

"Bring it on."

"... Wax play?"

"I'm up for it if you are."

Levi felt defeated. "Well, that's the worst of it. Everything else I can think of is just about what you wear. That one time you wore latex and shit? That's my favorite. Well... one of my favorites. How about on your birthday, we try out everything you wanna do and we'll try out what I wanna do another day."

Eren snickered, seeing that he had Levi beat. "Fine then, that's how we'll do it."

 

~

 

Levi held the phone between his shoulder and cheek while sweeping in the living room. "No, he's not here right now."

"Where is he?" Mikasa asked.

"He's off getting his nails done for his birthday. Won't be back for a bit."

"But his birthday's tomorrow."

"Yeah, he wanted them done beforehand so I gave him the money to get them done today. Our plans to take him to dinner are still on, right?"

"Right, and you're picking me up?"

"Yeah." Levi turned around, hearing the door open and seeing it was Eren. He would've handed the phone over to him so he could talk to his sister if he didn't look so upset. "I gotta go." He hung up the phone tossing it on the couch. "What are you doing home so early? You're never finished getting your nails done that quick."

Eren stomped into the living room, looking absolutely livid. "I didn't get them done." He dig into his purse, giving Levi back his money. "Here."

Levi hesitantly took the bills, staring worriedly at his boyfriend. "Why didn't you get them done?"

Eren exhaled sharply, turning away and taking off his shoes back near the door. "Oh, I just thought I'd try going to a different salon just for the hell of it. Sasha suggested one that she went to all the time, so I went there." He straightened up, throwing his purse on the counter in the kitchen. "'You'll love it!' she said. 'They've got good prices!' she said. Well, I wouldn't fucking know! They refused to give me a goddamn manicure!"

Levi frowned. "What? Why?" He set down the broom and walked over.

"I asked to get my nails painted, bringing over a bottle of nail polish like anyone would and before I said anything when I was walking to the counter, the woman there just starts shaking her head. I told her what I wanted and she keeps shaking her head, and I said 'what?' And she's like 'we can't do that for you, that's not for you.'" Eren's face grew redder and his volume increase as he spoke, getting flustered just thinking about it.

"And then I said 'why not?' She he told me it was because I was a man. Something as fucking stupid as that. She's turning down money because of my gender. She turned down work because she doesn't think that men should have painted nails. Then I got mad and I asked if anyone else would do it for me, because I thought maybe she was the only one there who would refuse me. Nope, the other employees tried asking me to leave and I got angrier."

Levi took Eren's hand in his, trying to get him to calm down.

"And then everyone was trying to get me to leave and I wasn't going anywhere, then one of them started pulling my arm! They literally put their hands on me to get me out! It wasn't forceful, but I'm still fucking pissed! And I didn't go to another salon because I didn't want to take out my anger on anyone and I'm sorry for yelling, but I'm just so..." Eren took a deep breath, clenching his free hand into a fist. "I'm just so upset. I'm so tired of this."

Levi nodded. "You have every right to be. That's bullshit."

"Mhm... I wish I wore my prosthetic today. I don't know if it would've changed anything, but it could've. Maybe they would've thought..."

Levi shook his head. "Even if it did, they're still awful for refusing you like that. Your gender and how they see you shouldn't matter. Business is business, and they turned you away for a stupid reason."

Eren could still feel the rush of adrenaline from his outrage, but he tried to slow his breaths and relax. "You're right. God, I'm still so pissed."

"Do you want me to call and complain?"

Eren exhaled amusedly at that. "No, that's not necessary."

"Do you want me to take you to your usual salon to make up for it?"

Eren shook his head. "No, I just wanna stay with you right now."

Levi just wanted to make up for Eren's bad experience, he wanted him to smile again. "Well, I'll write up a bad review on their website later. But right now, let me ask you something. Do you have your own nail polish?"

Eren furrowed his brows. "Yeah, what does that have to do with anything?"

"Show me what you got."

Eren remained confused, but led Levi upstairs into his room anyways. He opened a drawer in his desk and lifted a tray of his extensive collection of nail supplies. "This is it."

Levi nodded. "Okay. Set it on the step, I'll be right back." He left to the bathroom, grabbing a spare towel and walking back in, laying the towel down on the floor next to the nail supplies. "Sit. Tell me what everything does."

Eren did as asked, waiting for Levi to sit across from him. "Um, well, this half is just regular nail polish. This other half has a thin brush for details. Here's a few top coats, base coats and clear coats. These ones add shine, these ones are matte." He went to explain how the rhinestones were applied, how to put on the fake nail itself and everything else.

Levi took a look over everything and nodded to himself. "Right. You might have to coach me on drying times, but I think I got it. Hold out your hands."

"Wait. You're gonna... do my nails?" Eren asked incredulously.

"Took ya that long?"

"... Have you ever done this before?"

"Not exactly. But, I am an artist and even if I fail miserably, could be fun, right?" Levi smirked at him.

Eren finally grinned with excitement.

 

~

 

"Is this one sheer or opaque?" Levi held up another bottle.

"Opaque, but if you're coating the whole nail it takes a couple layers to be at its best."

Levi nodded, going in to paint Eren's ring finger. Eren couldn't stop smiling the whole time. He loved nights like this. Just the two of them, doing less than thrilling activities but loving every minute of it. "You're a real sweetheart for doing this, you know?"

Levi shrugged. "Nah, you just said you wanted to spend time with me, and I wasn't going to reject you. And I thought it was unfair that after what you went through today, you didn't get your nails all done up."

"You're actually pretty good at this. It's taking you ages, but everything's turning out beautifully."

"Thanks. Sorry it's taking so long, I'm not familiar with the medium. But it's not too hard, if I say so myself." Levi made very careful strokes, nervous that the polish would react in a way he didn't expect.

Eren watched, finding it funny that Levi had the same look of concentration as when he'd sketch or tattoo. "You didn't have to do this for me."

"I wanted to. Anything for my baby doll," Levi murmured without looking up. "Besides, it's a relaxing way for us to spend time together. What do you think?"

Eren had to agree. He didn't feel even remotely angry anymore. "This is really nice." He couldn't think of much else he'd rather be doing. Just sitting there being pampered by Levi was the best thing in the world to him. "I love you, Levi."

"I love you too, Eren. Hold still, this line has to be straight."

Eren giggled. This was definitely one of their more intimate nights.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you were wondering, the things Eren asked for are real. Here's the lube https://extraeren.tumblr.com/post/166124934965
> 
> And the dildo https://extraeren.tumblr.com/post/166124911220
> 
> Tumblr is wild my dudes
> 
> If you liked this chapter, please leave a comment or kudos! I'm sorry for any errors, I don't edit! My tumblrs are dr-s--art, the-witch-daddy and extraeren. Thanks for reading!


	23. Coverup

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi goes home to comfort his sister and Eren has to work at a wedding.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugggghhhhg I am strESSED so I'm uploading again. There's only five chapters left after this. Enjoy!

Levi called his mother at the end of the week and got started talking about his own life before he'd eventually ask Kuchel about her and Isabel. But she seemed so distracted and it was all too obvious for him to notice.

"Yesterday, this guy came in the shop and—"

"Mhm."

"—He wanted this entire back piece done."

"Yeah."

"... But he needed it done by a certain time that just wasn't possible, and—"

"Mhm."

Levi sighed. "... I'm sorry, is there something you need to say?"

"No, dear. Just tell me the rest of your story. Everything's fine."

Levi wasn't convinced, his mother had always been an awful liar. "Pretty sure you were barely listening anyway. What's going on? Spit it out."

He heard his mother sigh. "It's Isabel. Farlan broke up with her a little while ago and she's locked herself in her room. I was going to see if I could talk to her, but you called and I didn't want to ignore you."

Levi clenched his fists, gripping his phone a little too tightly. "He broke up with her? Why?"

"I'm not too sure on the details. What she told me, or at least what I got from her was that he didn't see her as more than a friend anymore. She said something else, but she was crying too hard for me to make it out. She's devastated. She doesn't need something like this right before she graduates."

Levi could feel his blood boiling with rage, thinking about how hurt she must be. They'd been dating for years, longer than he and Eren had been together. And he left her right before they'd get out of high school. "Can I speak to her?"

"Yes, hold on." Levi heard a soft knock and his mother asking for entrance before hearing a muffled 'go away.' His heart was breaking for her. 'Levi's on the phone,' he heard and then a pause before there was an indistinguishable response. "She doesn't want to talk right now. I'm just going to give her some privacy for the time being."

"I understand." Levi hated that he couldn't be there. He should've been able to comfort her, the distance was unfair. "I'll be there tomorrow."

"What?"

"I'm coming. I've got tomorrow off, the least I could do is stop by for a few hours to see if she's okay."

"Levi, as much as I'd love to see you, that's unnecessary. You can call again tomorrow, I'm sure it'd mean just as much to her."

Levi shook his head, walking over to his closet to pick out clothes for the next day. "No, I'm coming. I have to go to get things ready for the road. I love you, tell Isabel the same for me." He hung up and immediately got to work. 

After laying out his clothes, he went downstairs and brought out a cooler, packing water bottles for the trip. He passed Eren watching a film in the living room and thought he might as well invite him in case he wanted to go. "Eren? You free tomorrow?"

Eren faced him, pausing the film. "No, sorry. I've gotta do makeup for a bride and her bridesmaids tomorrow. Why?"

"I'm going to see my family. Isabel's boyfriend broke up with her and she's really hurt."

"Oh no, that's awful. Why'd he break up with her?"

"Because he doesn't see her as more of a friend anymore, something like that. I'm not sure, I'm going to find out tomorrow, I need to be there for Izzy." Levi turned back to the kitchen to collect food.

"Do you need help with packing?"

"I could use some help if you don't mind."

Eren got up from the couch and came to his assistance. "Give Izzy my best wishes when you see her."

"I will."

 

~

 

One of Eren's favorite things to do for work was wedding looks. Seeing how happy the bride was always put him in a good mood and he loved to listen as she spoke about her husband to be. Bridesmaids were just as fun, most of them being talkative, which was sometimes inconvenient due to schedules, but he didn't mind too much. 

Eren blended in the foundation of the bride while Annie worked on one of the bridesmaids. 

"Could you add a subtle hint of blue somewhere in the makeup?" The bride requested. "I forgot my something blue, it's the last thing I need."

"Of course! Maybe in the eyeshadow? I can add some dark blue in the outer corners for depth," Eren mused.

"That'll work!"

Eren smiled at the bride, picking up another makeup brush to blend out the colors. "So, are you more excited or nervous?"

"I'm mostly excited. But I'm nervous that I'll trip over my words during the vows, I've never been good at public speaking."

"I can relate," Eren joked. 

The bride sighed contentedly. "Actually, I'm relieved more than anything. I can't stand not being married to him a minute more. We've been together about seven years, it's about damn time," she said, drawing out a laugh from Eren. "I'm just so happy right now that the wait is over. Do you know what that feels like? Are you married?"

Eren simpered, thinking of Levi. "Not yet, but I'm in a committed relationship. I imagine I'll feel the same when the day comes, though."

"Trust me, it's the best feeling. But it gets even better when we make it to the altar."

"I'm sure it does. I just need to apply some false lashes, and you'll be finished." Eren took fractions of lashes, putting them on just near the outer portion of the bride's eye to add more definition without looking too dramatic or theatrical. Eren turned her in her chair so she could see herself in the mirror. He was glad she immediately started beaming at her reflection. "What do you think? Is there anything else you want me to do or change?"

"No," she said, shaking her head. "This is exactly what I wanted, I love what you did! Oh my gosh, my eyes look so big."

"I'm glad you like it!" Eren turned to see Annie's progress and saw that she was only doing the finishing touches on the last bridesmaid. So, he began packing up his kit. "Congratulations, I'm sure you're vows will go smoothly."

"Thank you so much!" The bride gave Eren a brief hug and soon, he and Annie were leaving. 

They took off in Eren's car, leaving the venue and both glad to have finished their work for the day. "Wanna go out for lunch? I'm free all afternoon," Eren offered.

"I'm up for that, I guess," Annie sighed, tired. "You're not gonna spend your day with Levi or anything?"

Eren shrugged. "He's going to see his family today. He said he'd be back in the evening."

Annie hummed in acknowledgment, letting her head fall back and closing her eyes to rest. "I hate weddings."

Eren gawked in horror. "Annie! How could you hate weddings? They're the most magical days in people's lives! They're a celebration of life and love—"

"Calm down, cupid. I just meant I hate doing makeup for weddings. So many people to get done and you're under a time limit," she groaned. "If you get any little thing wrong, you're ruining someone's big day. And you can't take your time to get it perfect, because their makeup has to be fresh for the ceremony and pictures. I fucking hate weddings."

Eren had to sympathize with that, it could get incredibly stressful. But he still loved the atmosphere. "Doesn't the idea that everyone in that room being a part of the best day of someone's life make you happy though? Doesn't the joy rub off on you?"

"... Not really. If it were my wedding, everyone's doing their own damn makeup, I don't care if they've never done it before."

Eren couldn't possibly relate. He'd had visions of his wedding since childhood. His plans changed constantly, but he always knew it would be a planned, structured event. "Don't you want everything to be perfect, though?"

Annie shook her head. "Fuck it, I'll probably elope. I'm not like you, I don't have everything blue printed to the last detail."

"I can't help it! Weddings are so wonderful, and I especially can't help but think about what mine and Levi's wedding will be like."

Annie chuckled, crossing her arms. "I'd hate to break it to you Eren, but he probably doesn't want a rainbow explosion of a wedding."

Eren frowned. "I know that... besides, it doesn't have to be like that for it to be perfect."

"Have you and Levi talked about it?"

"Not yet... but we will."

"So, he definitely wants to get married?"

"He hasn't said so explicitly, but I think so. I know I want to marry him. And we've been together for nearly two years, we love each other and I don't see that changing." He wanted to spend the rest of his life with Levi, that much was certain. But he didn't intend to ask about marriage just yet. Even if he did, he knew deep down how Levi would respond, and that's what got him smiling and Annie looking at him funny.

 

~

 

Levi stepped into his family's home without knocking, finding his mother sitting in the living room, tired and worried. She looked his way and stood to hug him. "Levi, I'm so happy to see you. I just wish it was under better circumstances."

"Me too," Levi agreed. "How's Izzy?"

Kuchel sighed, stepping back. "Worse. She's only come out of her room for food and by the time I notice she's out, she's rushing back. She's absolutely heartbroken."

That's what Levi was afraid to hear. "Have you tried talking to her?"

"Yes, but she asks me to leave every time."

Levi nodded solemnly. "I'll go talk to her. Maybe I can get through to her." He patted his mother's shoulder assuringly and headed to his sister's room. Having no idea what state she was in, he prepared himself to comfort her no matter the severity.

He slowed, coming up to her door and knocked softly. 

"I said I don't wanna talk!" Isabel's voice came muffled.

"It's Levi."

He waited for a response, but nothing followed. Only silence. So, he decided to ask for entrance. "Can I come in?"

He didn't get an answer, but he couldn't just leave. "Izzy?" She didn't make a sound, so he tested the handle, finding that it was unlocked. "I'm coming in, okay?" He waited for any type of reply, but he received nothing again, so he slowly stepped in.

Softly shutting the door behind him, Levi walked forward, finding Isabel on her bed, hugging a pillow to her chest, leaning against the wall with her knees pulled up. Her eyes were red and puffy, no doubt from continuous crying, and it tore Levi in two. She wouldn't even look over at him. 

"Hey," Levi called, standing in front of her bed with his hands in his pockets. "Mom told me what happened. I'm really sorry."

Isabel just sighed into the pillow. Levi was so upset for her, and he was furious with Farlan for making her feel this way. His sister deserved nothing but the best and he needed her to know that. "Hey, if he gave you up, then that's his mistake. Anyone would be the luckiest person on earth to have you as their girlfriend."

Isabel squeezed the pillow tighter, starting to sniffle. 

Levi could see he wasn't getting through to her, so he tried a different approach. "He wasn't good enough for you. You deserve someone who appreciates you more."

Isabel buried her face into her pillow. 

Levi went another route. "On a positive note, now that he's gone you can find somebody better..." He trailed off when he saw Isabel's shoulders shaking and heard quiet sobs. He couldn't help her by telling her she was better off. That wasn't what she needed. 

He sat down next to her, making the springs squeak under his weight and pulled her to his side with an arm around her. She immediately leaned into him, crying freely. "I'm sorry, I know how much you liked him." 

Isabel didn't need to hear that Farlan wasn't for her, she needed comfort and reassurance that she'd be okay. "I'm not gonna sugarcoat anything, this is gonna hurt for awhile," Levi told her. "But that's okay, it won't hurt forever." 

Levi subtly rocked her back and forth while she cried on his shoulder. He hated to see her tears, but he knew that shedding them would help her feel better. "It's okay to cry. Just know that in days, maybe weeks or months, you're not going to be in so much pain. But right now, it's good to accept how you're feeling. So you cry all that you need to now. Mom and I are here for you, and you've got friends who care about you. We'll help you any way we can, we all love you so much."

Levi hated seeing her hurt so badly, so he tried to lighten the mood. "Do you want me to kill him for you?"

Isabel huffed a short laugh through her tears, though it wasn't enough to stop them all together. "No." Her voice came out trembling. "I'm not mad at him... he's still my friend. I'm just upset he doesn't love me the way I love him."

Levi could understand that. Farlan hadn't meant to hurt her. "Yeah, that sucks. It's good that he didn't do this for a selfish or stupid reason though, right?"

Isabel sniffled, her crying finally dying down. "I guess. How would you feel? If Eren didn't love you anymore, how would you handle it?"

Levi didn't even want to think about that being a possibility. "... The same as you. I'd take it the way you are right now."

Isabel nodded. "What would you do?"

"Come to you or mom and cry like a baby."

Isabel snickered at the mental image.

"I know it might not be the most lighthearted time to remind you, but I think it might give you something to look forward to. You're graduating soon, and after that you turn eighteen. So, that means I can give you any tattoo you want, just like I promised."

Isabel sniffled, smiling slightly. "I guess I wouldn't say no to that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you liked this, please leave a comment or kudos! I'm sorry for any errors, I don't edit. My tumblrs are dr-s--art, the-witch-daddy and extraeren. Thanks for reading! <3


	24. Realism

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isabel gets her first tattoo and Eren has an intense nightmare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IMPORTANT: if you are easily triggered, bothered by or just simply don't want to read things relating to child abuse, please read this with caution or skip this chapter all together if that's what you need to do! There's nothing graphic, but it does explicitly say what happened. 
> 
> Okay so it's like a few minutes past midnight and I'm literally busy all tomorrow (today?) preparing for a drag show and then performing in said drag show so I needed to post this NOW. I hope you enjoy!

Kuchel tapped her foot, biting her knuckles as she anxiously watched Levi set up his station. She looked over to her daughter looking excited as ever, laying on her stomach on a table put out. She knew this day would come ever since Levi became a tattoo artist, but she was never prepared. "Those needles are clean?"

Levi rolled his eyes. "Yes, mom. They're bran new, of course they're clean."

Petra, Hanji and Eren crowded around the area, equally excited for the big moment. They'd even closed the shop an hour early so they can share the experience. 

"Don't worry, mom. Everything will be fine!" Isabel assured her mother.

"Are you sure this is what you want? Once it's there, it's there forever," Kuchel warned her. 

"I'm sure! I put a lot of thought into it!"

Eren came around and looked at the stencil Levi had drawn up. Isabel was going to have three realistic birds on the back of her calf, and like always, Levi did a fantastic job. "Is there a reason why you chose birds, Izzy?"

"They're my favorite animal," Isabel said.

"Wanna tell them why you're getting three?" Levi teased, slipping on his gloves.

Isabel looked down, and mumbled her reply. "... One for me, Levi and mom."

"Aw, that's wonderful!" Hanji said, clapping their hands together. "I wouldn't have expected you to get your first one for your family, that's sweet."

Levi laid the stencil on her leg, examining the placement. "Yeah, I didn't see that coming either. Mom almost cried when she heard that." He sat back, getting out of the way. "Alright, Izzy. Get up and tell me what you think."

Kuchel came to her side, helping her stand up and walked her over to the mirror. "Big bro, I love it!" Isabel beamed. 

"You're sure about the size?" Kuchel asked. "You don't want them higher or lower? They're all facing the way you want?"

"Yup! This is perfect! I'm ready."

"Come on back," Levi invited. "You've eaten and you're hydrated?"

"Yes!" Isabel whined, hopping back up on the table. "You saw me have dinner!"

"Just wanna be sure."

Levi and Kuchel were both nagging her about her certainty of the tattoo and also her preparation since they arrived to the shop hours ago. They both were concerned about every aspect, but Levi particularly didn't want her to pick an image she would one day regret and Kuchel was terrified that Isabel didn't have a good enough pain tolerance and that she might pass out. But all the right steps were followed and Isabel was ready.

Levi started up his tattoo machine, bringing it just above Isabel's skin. "You ready, kiddo?"

"Mhm!"

"Okay, here we go." Levi did a small line to let her get a feel for it. "Is that alright? Not that I could adjust the pain, but how is it?"

"That's it? Wow, that's not even bad."

"Atta girl." Levi got to work, confident in his sister's ability to sit well.

Everyone was impressed with how easy it was for Isabel to sit through. Even Eren thought her pain tolerance was better than his. Kuchel kept fussing, of course, but felt glad that she could take it so well. 

Isabel couldn't see the progress being made, but she had full faith in Levi's talent. But that didn't help the fact that she felt incredibly impatient to see the finish product. 

Her session only lasted just under an hour. Levi finished up and escorted her over to the mirror and she didn't even look at her tattoo for a full five seconds before she jumped into Levi's arms, trapping him in a hug. "I love it, I love it, I love it! Thank you so much, Levi!"

"No problem, make damn sure you take proper care of it." Levi set her down and watched while she examined her new ink with undivided attention for what felt like ages.

"I will, I promise!" 

Kuchel leaned in, whispering to her son, "I'll be calling and sending pictures every night to ask and be sure it's healing right."

Levi nodded. "Alright. You want a tattoo while you're here?"

"N-No, no I'm fine, they look quite painful." Kuchel shied away. "Your work is lovely, but... I wouldn't sit very still."

Levi smirked. "I'm just messing with you, I know you're not into tattoos."

"But Levi? What you did on Isabel is really beautiful. I'm glad she went to you."

Levi pulled her into a side hug. "Thanks mom."

 

~

 

Eren settled into bed with Levi, exhausted after having taken Isabel out for dinner with everyone after getting her tattoo. "Your family could've stayed with us, I don't see why they would pay for a hotel instead."

"My mom didn't want to impose, and even when I told her a million times that we wouldn't mind, she said she also wanted to treat Izzy for her birthday. They're staying at someplace real fancy."

"That makes sense. How long are they staying?"

"They leave in the morning," Levi yawned.

Eren nodded, situating himself under Levi's arm. "It's been a long day."

"Yeah, it has. Get yourself some sleep."

"Okay. I love you."

"I love you too. Goodnight."

Levi wouldn't be falling asleep for some time. As exhausted as he felt, his insomnia would keep him awake, so he merely watched as Eren drifted out of consciousness. He didn't know that when Eren's eyes closed, he was no longer with Levi, but instead transported back to his childhood.

Carla sent a glare at another mom from preschool that was giving her a dirty look for how Eren was dressed. She helped him into his car seat, fixing the bow in his hair and buckling him in. Once she was in the drivers seat, she pulled away from the curb, heading towards their home.

She looked back in the rearview mirror, seeing her son looking down at his teddy bear sadly. "Don't listen to that woman, or anyone like her. You look so pretty in your dress and if you want to wear it, that's perfectly fine. There's nothing wrong with you, sweetheart."

Eren didn't look up or make any signs that he'd acknowledged her.

Carla sighed heavily. "This weekend, I'll take you and Mikasa shopping and I'll let you pick out a new toy and maybe a few outfits. How about that?"

"... Okay," Eren mumbled, barely audible.

It broke Carla's heart that people got to him. He was only six years old and he was already being shamed for his innocent interests. 

"When I get back tonight, I'll get to making you a cake. Your favorite flavor, too." Carla just wanted him to stop being upset, and she couldn't do that so well when she couldn't hold him.

"... Get back?"

"Yes, sweetie. Daddy and I have to go help your aunt move into her new house. Dave will be watching you and your sister."

"Oh."

Carla peeked back in the mirror and Eren seemed to be more troubled than before. "Eren, will you please tell me what is going on with you and Dave? You didn't have any problems with him for a year, but since last year, something has been up. What is it? You can tell me."

It wasn't that Eren didn't like his babysitter, but he didn't want to be around him. He didn't think his reason was good enough to justify his aversion to him, he felt so confused. He didn't know if he was wrong to be upset about it. He didn't know if other people handled it differently. "He told me not to tell."

Carla perked up apprehensively. "Not to tell you what? Eren, what are you talking about?"

Eren tightened his grip on his teddy bear like it would protect him. "But I promised," he reasoned.

Carla tried not to let herself panic. "I'm your mother, that overrides any promise you made if it has to do with your safety or happiness. If there's something you want to tell me, then you need to."

"I don't like the way he kisses me."

The car came to an abrupt halt with the wheels screeching and the vehicle behind them laying on the horn.

"Sorry," Carla apologized, pulling to the side of the road. Once in park, she unbuckled her seat belt and turned in her seat to face Eren. "What did you say?" She asked urgently.

Eren's heart beat faster than ever as he watched his mother with wide eyes, scared to repeat himself. He'd never seen his mother so panicked.

Carla pretended to ease up, noticing how her son was retracting from her. She had to get more out of him before he completely shut down, refusing to speak at all out of fear. She calmly reached for his hand, trying to soothe him. "Sweetie... you're not in trouble. Just please tell me again."

Eren gulped, feeling his eyes water. He heard her just telling him that he wasn't in trouble, but he didn't fully believe her. He should've kept quiet.

"Eren, please tell me what you said."

"... I don't like the way he kisses me," he whispered, terrified of her reaction.

Carla nodded slowly. She couldn't portray the mix of emotions she was feeling, needing to keep Eren talking. But he noticed the most subtle changes in her expressions.

"Okay. How does he do that? Does he kiss you on your head like we do when we say goodbye?"

Eren shook his head. "It's nasty. He puts his tongue in my mouth."

It took everything Carla had to not start shaking with rage. "Why didn't you tell us sooner, sweetheart?"

"I promised him. He said it was a secret. I'm sorry, mommy." Eren's voice started wobbling as he started to cry.

Carla shushed him. "Eren, shh. It's okay, don't cry. Next time something is bothering you, it can't be a secret, okay? You're not in trouble. Is that why you don't want Dave to babysit?"

Eren nodded.

"Is that the only reason?"

Eren stared back with tears coming down. He shook his head.

"What's the other reason? You can tell me."

"... He puts his hands on my bottom. He does that when he kisses me."

Carla's eyes looked so empty. She drew her hand back, attempting to process everything.

She had asked more questions, but the next thing he knew, he was home, hiding behind the couch, watching his mother scream at Dave, holding him by the arm so he couldn't leave and refusing to let him enter the house. Mikasa had come down from upstairs and stood beside him.

"Why is mom yelling at Dave?"

Eren wouldn't answer. He told himself it was his fault that his mother was so angry. He'd never heard her scream so loud or be so openly hateful of someone. 

"Eren, dad is calling the police, what's going on?"

Eren hugged his knees to his chest. What if Mikasa got mad too? And now the police were coming to their house. He didn't know what that implied, but he knew that no one wanted that to happen, so it must've been for a reason. 

Their father came rushing through the living room and sighed in relief when he finally found him behind the couch. He picked him up into his arms. "There you are," Grisha said. He took Mikasa's hand and brought them both upstairs. "You both need to stay in your rooms until it's okay to come down."

"Daddy, what's happening?" Mikasa asked.

"All you need to know is that Dave is a very bad man and he's going away."

"What did he do?"

"We'll talk about this later." Grisha set Eren down in Mikasa's room and let go of Mikasa's hand. "Mommy will be right up to stay with you both. I have to be downstairs right now." And with that, he left.

Mikasa looked to Eren, anxious and confused. "What did Dave do?"

Eren didn't respond. He could still hear his mother's endless curses from the front porch. And within moments, he could hear police sirens on top of her voice. His parents hated Dave because of him, and now the police were there and if he was honest with Mikasa, she'd either be mad at him or Dave. He couldn't comprehend at the time that he did the right thing and he wasn't the one at fault, but in that moment he felt like the world was falling down. 

Carla came rushing in, shutting the door behind her and bringing both her children into a hug with tears already streaming down her face. 

"I'm so sorry."

"It's okay. Wake up, you're okay, love."

Eren woke to the sound of Levi's voice and the feeling of his thumbs wiping away stray tears. Levi cradled him in his arms, distressed over how upset he appeared in his sleep.

Levi kissed away his tears. "You're okay, beautiful. You're home, I'm here. I got you, my angel."

Eren sniffled, bringing up his own hand to wipe at his face. 

"Bad dream?"

Eren nodded.

"Can you talk?"

"Yeah... yeah, sorry." 

"Poor thing." Levi caressed his face, relieved to see that the last of his tears were drying. "You have a lot of nightmares."

"Mhm... I'm sorry I woke you," Eren mumbled, pulling the blanket up to his face.

"I was already awake. I just didn't want you to endure whatever you were dreaming about if it made you cry. It must've been bad."

Eren tried to recall what his dream was about, then soon wished he hadn't. He didn't want to revisit that. Not after all this time. "Y-Yeah... it was pretty awful."

"You wanna talk about it?"

Eren shook his head, angling his face into the pillow. The events in his dream became more vivid after Levi sympathized with him on his nightmare and he couldn't help but let more tears roll out, unable to get the images out of his head.

"Eren, what's wrong?" Levi reached for tissues off the nightstand, offering them to him. "Baby, why are you crying?"

"It... it was just a really bad dream," Eren sobbed. "I don't want to talk about it. Not right now."

"You don't gotta talk about it, it's okay, baby doll." Levi wrapped an arm around his body and held the back of his head gently, letting him cry all he needed to. "It was just a dream, you're okay now."

Eren wished so badly that that was true. It wasn't just a dream, but he was safe now. He was far away from the people that hurt him and Levi was there to protect him. He patted his eyes with the tissue, calming down some. "Can I tell you about it? Another day?"

"If you want to, yes."

 

~

 

About a week later, Eren decided he'd talk to Levi about his nightmares, but more importantly, his life. Levi had work that day, but it was Eren's day off, which gave him plenty of time to figure out how he went about his talk with his boyfriend. He'd had another dream the night prior, but Levi had slept through his tremors, so he suffered throughout the entire memory. After that, he realized he'd had enough. Even if he couldn't be rid of his dreams, he wanted to discuss it with Levi.

He waited on the couch patiently, and stood when he heard Levi coming through the door. Levi kicked off his shoes, hung up his keys and turned to smile at Eren. "Hey, beautiful."

"Did you have a good day at work?" Eren greeted him with a hug and a kiss. 

"I guess," Levi sighed. "The shop was flooded. I'm exhausted, but hey, that just means we got a lot of business." He looked the other up and down. "What are you doing in your pajamas? Just relaxing all day?"

Eren nodded halfheartedly. "Yeah... I had more nightmares."

Levi frowned, framing Eren's face with his hands. "I'm sorry, baby. That's awful. Are you okay? Do you want to talk about it?"

Eren hesitated, but nodded again. 

Levi kissed his forehead and led the two of them back to the couch. Levi sat Eren down on his lap, sliding his arm around his waist and setting a hand on his knee. Eren put his arms around Levi's shoulder and contemplated how he should start. "Well... you know how you always tell me 'it's not real' when I wake up from my nightmares?"

"Yeah..." Levi raised a brow in confusion.

"... That's not true." Eren gulped. "I haven't really talked about this with anyone, except Mikasa on rare occasions, but only vaguely. I don't want to keep it to myself anymore, and I trust you."

Levi nodded. "That's good, talking it out can help."

"Yeah... it's just that no one outside of my family knows about it and I'm nervous."

Levi gave him a reassuring kiss on the cheek. "It's okay to be nervous. But whatever it is, I won't judge you or tell anyone else or anything like that."

Eren took a steadying breath. "Okay... well, I have nightmares about things that have happened to me. I've been having them for a long time. Most of the things happened years ago, I don't know where to begin..."

"Start wherever you want, I'll listen to everything you have to say."

Eren looks into his eyes, only to find nothing but love and sincerity. He could trust Levi. "... Alright. The thing I have the most nightmares about is something that happened when I was a kid." He tightened his grip around Levi, preparing himself. "My parents would leave the house a lot, sometimes for work, for dates and my aunt and uncle were building a house at the time, so they'd go over to help out a lot. So, Mikasa and I had a lot of babysitters. But my parents found a babysitter who lived nearby and he worked for less, so they hired him."

He hadn't even gotten to the worst part and he started to struggle with looking Levi in the eye. "His name was Dave, he was a college student and the whole family really liked him. My mom liked him the most because he would clean the house without being asked and he didn't just watch us, he played games with us and my sister and I liked him at first. I wasn't a very talkative kid, I actually didn't talk at all around most strangers, and Dave would always try to get me to say something, but I never did."

"I can't imagine you not being talkative," Levi commented.

Eren chuckled. "God, I never talked as a kid. I got better though when I moved out." His smile faded as he got back on track. "Dave never heard me talk. None of my babysitters did. They thought I was mute, but my mom always promised them I was just shy. But anyways, Dave would always bring board games and films and he'd bring sweets for us. He always paid more attention to me than Mikasa, though. He was our babysitter for two years. The first year, even I liked him, everyone did. But after the first year, he started paying more and more attention to me."

Eren laid his head on Levi's shoulder, not wanting to see his reaction. "My sister fell asleep faster than I did a lot of the time, or I'd stay up when I wasn't suppose to because I was stubborn." He felt Levi laugh at that, which he was grateful for. "Dave used to try to get me to go to bed, but after awhile, he stopped and let me stay up to watch films with him." He closed his eyes, his voice lowering out of shame. "Then one time, he asked me if I could keep a secret when he walked me back to bed. And I nodded, I was a kid, I was tired and he was always nice to me, so I didn't think anything of it. He... he kissed me on the cheek and said it was a goodnight kiss but that it was a secret. I thought it was weird that it was a secret, because my parents gave me goodnight kisses, but I didn't tell anyone."

Eren brought his legs up, cuddling up to Levi for safety. "It became a regular thing, and I didn't really care. Then he started kissing me on the lips. He told me that was a special kiss and he wouldn't do that for Mikasa, only me and I had to promise not to tell. And it kept getting worse, he would wait until Mikasa was asleep upstairs, and when we were watching films, he sat me on his lap and... you know. Then he started to grab my ass, and that's as bad as it got, but... still. And I was scared that if I told him to stop or tried to leave, he'd get me in trouble. I was too young to realize that he'd be the one in trouble if he told anyone."

"Did you ever tell anyone?"

Eren couldn't see Levi's face, but if he could, he's see how much he ached for him. "Yes. One day my mom was taking me home from something and I was upset that I had to be babysat that day and she basically told me if I didn't feel right about something then I had to tell her. And I did. That day, my dad called the police when Dave showed up and I was terrified. I can't remember the whole process, but I had to talk to the cops and other officials before he left for good. My parents took me to therapy for about a year, then stopped when the therapist said I didn't need to come anymore. I can't explain it, but it was like after Dave went to prison, the whole thing was so repressed that it didn't affect me until years later. I was mad that everyone was so careful around me because they thought I was traumatized. I mean... I was, but it didn't hit me until later."

Levi hugged Eren tighter, but still gently. It felt nice that Levi wasn't giving him unnecessary input, he just listened.

"My parents would be so cautious to not upset me, which ended up upsetting me. Because I was so young when it happened, I didn't completely understand the severity of the situation. I knew what he did was wrong and that I didn't like it, but I didn't know why it was wrong or why I felt that way, because he treated it as if he was doing something kind. So, I thought I was wrong to be upset about it and when other people said it was okay to be hurt, I told them I wasn't. And that was true for awhile, but when I got older and I had a better understanding of things, I started to actually feel traumatized for the first time. And I was so angry with myself because I heard of other examples of trauma and I thought that others had it so much worse than me so I thought I didn't have the right to feel pain over it."

Levi kissed the side of Eren's face. "You know now that you have every right to feel that way, right?"

"Yes," Eren sighed. "But I didn't for years. And then... my dad started to criticize the way I dressed. I always dressed that way, ever since I could remember. But he started to passively say he thought I'd grow out of it. When I got into high school, I started to really hate myself. I stopped wearing the loud colors, I started having nightmares about Dave, and... I felt like a charity case, because my family never let the thing with Dave go. So, I wanted to feel like more than that, I didn't want pity, but... I don't know what I wanted. But it led to me messing around with a ton of guys as a kind of outlet for getting over everything. I don't know what my logic was in that, but that's what happened. That's another thing I have nightmares about."

Levi listened, nodding along. "Just to clarify, you have nightmares about..."

"The people I spent time with in high school," Eren filled in.

"Okay. Sorry, continue."

"That's alright." Eren was so appreciative that's Levi cared so much and was giving him the time to get everything off his chest. "My sister was really upset with me all that time because I was just fooling around with whoever gave me any attention, I wasn't taking care of myself, and I was letting people use me. And I still feel awful about what I put my mom through. She knew something was wrong, but I couldn't tell her anything and she was so worried for me."

Levi could feel the way Eren was shrinking inward, guilty over how he'd affected his family years ago.

"Then after I graduated, I actually tried getting myself together. I started doing things that made me happy again, or at least I was doing my best. My dad was pissed, he thought I was moving on with the feminine clothes and such, but I just went back to it. I was so frustrated, because I was trying to get better, and I was going off to college, but instead of being proud that I was trying my best to be happy, he thought I was heading in the wrong direction. And I was so used to not taking care of myself or caring about how others treated me, I ended up in a lot of fucking terrible relationships, half of them were abusive." Eren could remember his past so vividly, it was almost hard to keep speaking of it.

"That's another big portion of my bad dreams. One of the things that hurt the most, that never really left me, was how in some way, I feel like all of my past boyfriends, and some people who I never considered to be my boyfriends, were ashamed of me in some way. I even feel like my family has been ashamed of me, there was always something I had to keep to myself, whether it was who I was dating or how I expressed myself... especially during high school and college. And at that time, I didn't have a lot of people looking out for me. I just had Sasha, she was my roommate and she helped me kind of get out of a lot of bad situations."

Levi hummed in response, stroking Eren's arm for comfort. "Is that how you two met?"

"Yeah," Eren sighed. "You should've seen her back then, her hair was dyed black and it didn't suit her at all, she had this obsession with fake glasses, and she over drew her lips everyday, it was a weird phase for her."

Levi snorted, causing Eren to laugh too. 

"I'm sorry for unloading a sob story on you," Eren murmured.

"Don't be sorry, I wanted to hear everything you had to say. And I'm so glad that you trust me enough to share all that with me, it takes a lot of courage to be that open." Levi hugged him tightly. Everything that Eren went through hurt him, because he knew he didn't deserve to go through any of that. But overall, he felt happy that Eren reached a good point in his life and was comfortable enough to tell him the most personal things concerning his past. "Is there anything else you wanted to tell me?"

Eren shook his head. "No, that's pretty much it."

Levi gave him another kiss. "What would you like me to do when you have nightmares about all this?"

"Exactly what you've been doing. Thank you so much for helping me through them."

"Anything for you, angel."

Eren sighed contentedly, but the peace between them was interrupted when his stomach growled loudly. Levi chuckled. "When's the last time you ate?"

"... Few hours ago," Eren mumbled.

"Want me to make dinner?"

"Yes, please."

Eren hopped off of Levi's lap and let him get up to go to the kitchen. He watched him get started, but he wasn't ready to be separated from him yet. "Hey, Levi?"

"Yeah?" Levi called, turning on the stove.

Eren stood, joining him in the kitchen. "Could you... tell me what you're doing while you cook? I wanna learn."

Levi nodded, shuffling to the side. "You wanna help too? No better way to learn than doing."

"Sure," Eren beamed.

"Great." Levi retrieved vegetables from the fridge and set them in front of Eren. "Start by washing these off, and we'll get to cutting them."

Eren genuinely did want to learn how to cook properly, but he was more happy to just be doing everyday things with Levi. Being with him gave him more joy than whatever activity they were doing, and after just having opened up to him and to have Levi listen and understand completely strengthened their connection. So, doing little, mundane things with someone who cared that much about him meant more than it would with another person. He could see himself doing these unexciting things with Levi and loving every second of it for the rest of his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *cries out of guilt for everything I put Eren through* I'm so sorry for this monstrosity I wrote. Happy Friday the thirteenth...?
> 
> If you liked this, please leave a comment or kudos! I'm sorry for any errors, I don't edit. My tumblrs are dr-s--art, the-witch-daddy, and extraeren. Thank you so much for reading! <3


	25. Bio Mechanical

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After giving it much thought, Eren wants more piercings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: this... is admittedly not for everyone. With that being said, this chapter is not essential to the plot.
> 
> Okay so Eren's swim suit in this is based off of fanart. (That fanart actually inspired this entire fic). I found and saved it YEARS ago & I've done everything to try & find the source, & I wouldn't dare repost the art without permission so if you guys know what fanart it is based on the description PLEASE send me a link! 
> 
> UPDATE: I FUCKING FOUND IT!!! AFTER YEARS OF LOOKING!!!! It's the second one in this post! https://the-witch-daddy.tumblr.com/post/174799676539/ereri-is-in-the-air
> 
> Enjoy!

"You know, for something that you got to help your back, you're hurting your back a lot to set it up," Eren commented, watching Levi fixed the final part of the hot tub. "Do you need any help?"

"I got this!"

"Why didn't you let those other guys finish? They were doing just fine..."

"It's a pride thing, if a man can't set up his own hot tub then what can he do?"

Eren rolled his eyes. "He can know his limits and not throw out his back while doing something he wasn't trained to do."

"And miss out on learning a new skill? I think not."

Eren pinched the bridge of his nose, frustrated. "Levi, you've tried fixing the last step eight times! Call back, apologize and let them finish it—"

Levi slammed the on button and watched the water jets come to life as they should after his eight consecutive failures. He quirked an eyebrow at Eren, portraying victory and smugness, but internally he was screaming 'Thank fuck! It's a miracle!'

"Wow, good job," Eren praised him, leaning over the edge to see it. "Do the lights work?"

"Pfft, 'do the lights work?'" Levi scoffed, secretly praying they'd turn on. He hit the light switch and they glowed under water immediately. "I think that answers your question." Eren didn't have to know he was sweating with worry that nothing would work instead of the hard work he was putting in.

"Nice! I'm impressed, I didn't think you'd actually get it to work." Eren stuck his hand in, feeling the water warm up.

"Have more faith in me." Levi crossed his arms, looking over his work. "Wanna try it out?"

"Sure, let me go get my swimsuit."

Levi let him leave, staying put, as he'd put his swim trunks on before he started working, thinking he'd be done quickly. He tossed off his shirt and nodded to himself, glad that he'd been successful and climbed into the hot tub, sitting up against the jets to ease his aching back. 

Eren returned in one of his older swimsuits. His other ones covered more of his body, some were better for when he wore his prosthetic, but since he was at home with Levi, he felt comfortable in this one. 

Levi watched him come in the back room with a small strip of pink, flowing fabric around his chest and small revealing bottoms. He didn't bear any shame staring at his boyfriend's body, letting his gaze longer on his ass while he was turned around, setting down their towels.

"Not even gonna try to act like you're not drooling?" Eren teased, walking back and settling into the water beside Levi.

"Do I have a reason to?"

"I guess not."

Levi kissed Eren briefly. "You got a beautiful body, I'd like to admire it when possible."

Eren blushed, gladly soaking up the attention. "Enough about my body, is your back feeling better?"

"Yeah," Levi sighed, leaning back. "It's already working, I don't know why I didn't invest in one of these sooner. I know it can't undo all the hours I spend leaning over tattooing and drawing, but fuck, it'll sure as hell make it easier."

Eren set his head on Levi shoulder, closing his eyes and relaxing. "Has work been hard on you lately?"

"Holy shit, you have no idea," Levi grumbled. "Yesterday I had to do a massive bio mechanical rib tattoo on someone who kept asking for breaks every five minutes. Then I had a cryer who wanted two feet tattoos. Then, some asshole wanted a ring near their asshole and they clearly weren't taking it seriously and I almost kicked them out."

Eren sat up with his eyebrows raised. "They what?"

"They were acting like a shithead and I thought it was either their personality or they might've been high, but they swore they didn't do drugs—"

"No, no, I mean... they got a piercing where?"

Levi frowned. "Below their ass, my least favorite spot to pierce."

"Where the hell would..." Eren tried to process what part was actually getting the needle through it.

"Right on the taint," Levi filled in. 

Eren winced, shifting where he sat. "Ow, why would someone do that? That's gotta hurt like crazy!"

"Oh yeah, Hanji gave them a towel to bite on as a joke, but they actually needed it."

Eren kept scrunching up his face, imagining the pain someone would go through for that. "I don't understand why some people get piercings in those weird spots. I mean... to each their own, I guess, but... I don't know, I just feel like the pain isn't worth it."

"Well, it depends on how bad you want it. Would you get the tattoos you have if they hurt twice as much?" 

Eren thought about it, and he would. They were such beautiful pieces of art and they were a part of him now. He couldn't picture not having them. "Yeah, I think so."

"There you go. And for some people the pain is half the appeal."

Eren couldn't relate, but he understood that way of thinking. 

"Would you ever want piercings besides your ears?" Levi asked.

"I've thought about getting a belly ring, but I think it would hurt too much. Maybe a nose ring too, but that one I'd have to think about more."

"You got two tattoos and you're afraid that a piercing would hurt too much to go through with it?" Levi laughed.

"Yes! Tattoos are only in like... the layers of the skin, piercings go through the skin, you know? Just..." Eren shivered. "It's scary."

Levi stretched his arm out, setting his hand on Eren's shoulder. "It's not as bad as you think. And you know, I think you'd look good with a nose ring. Maybe with a purple stone to match your hair, hm?"

Eren envisioned himself with the ring Levi was describing and liked what he conjured up in his head. "Gosh, don't tell me that. Now I'm thinking of getting all sorts of piercings that match my hair."

"Go for it," Levi urged.

"Nooo, please, don't let me make impulsive decisions!" Eren laughed.

"Alright, alright," Levi relented, smiling uncontrollably at Eren's marvelous laughter. "But yeah, think about if you really want them. I'm just giving you my opinion."

Eren nodded. "I'll give it a lot of thought. Just to be sure."

 

~

 

About three weeks after their chat, Eren did decide to get his left nostril pierced (with a green stone, instead of purple), and he fell in love with it. But it also had him itching to get more piercings. It was only a month afterwards that he was ready to go under the needle again.

Eren and Levi went to the shop early, before Hanji or Petra came in for Eren to get pierced before customers started to show up. And also for privacy, as the curtains they put up didn't put Eren entirely at ease. First things first, Eren wanted his belly ring.

"It's not as bad as you're imagining, but I'm not gonna lie, it will obviously hurt," Levi warned him. He marked where he needed to pierce after thoroughly cleaning the area. "I'll help you take care of it of course, just like your nose ring." He took out the clamps and tightened them on the skin.

"I heard some people throw up when they get this done, am I gonna throw up?"

Levi looked up at him. "You better fuckin' not."

"I'm sorry! I just don't know how I'll react." Eren but his lip, watching Levi prepare the needle.

Levi rolled his chair to the side, kicking a trash can over. "Pick that up. The people who vomit while getting this done typically do it because of the pain, but I'm sure you can handle this."

"It hurts that bad?"

"For people with low pain tolerances, yeah." Levi brought the needle up. "Are you ready?"

Eren held up the bucket, nodding.

"Okay, baby. Just don't hold your breath, keep breathing. It'll be over in a second, I promise." Levi pressed the very end of the needle to Eren's skin. "Want me to count down?"

"Yes, please," Eren squeaked.

"Three... two..." Levi pushed the needle through with no problems.

Eren flinched, but otherwise made no signs of visible pain. "Hey, you didn't say one!"

"Didn't hurt too bad, did it?" Levi countered, pulling the metal out of the hollow needle and clipping the ends.

"But... but—"

"If I reached one, it would've scared you more. Trust me, I know all the tricks in the book. And I wouldn't do anything that would hurt you or give you a shitty piercing, okay?"

Eren huffed out an agitated breath, but supposed Levi was right. And his piercing was going in smoothly, so he had no reason to complain. Levi screwed on each end of the ring, pronouncing him finished. "All set, angel. You did so good, and hey, you didn't puke. We'll get you the one you wanted with the charm on it once this heals."

"Thank you, Levi." Eren kissed his boyfriend when he stood back up, setting the trash can down.

"Any thing for you." Levi tossed out his gloves and went to take the curtain down.

"Levi, wait," Eren said, holding onto his hand. "Could I get another piercing real quick?"

"Another? Do you know how many kisses this will cost you?" Levi joked.

"I can afford it." Eren smirked, leaning in to whisper to Levi what it was that he wanted.

Levi's brows nearly shot up in surprise. "Wait-I don't... you know that'll hurt like a bitch, right? When did you even decide you wanted that? If it's an impulsive decision, I'm not gonna—"

"I've been thinking about it a lot. Ever since you told me about that one customer, I've considered it. Lately, I've been thinking how sexy piercings are and I'd like to get this one." Eren got closer to Levi, making the air between them thin.

"I don't know, have you researched—"

"Do you really think after the fuss I made over my belly ring I'd go through with this without research?"

Levi thought about it for a few moments, wishing he had more of a heads up. "Hanji and Petra will be here soon."

Eren shrugged. "We have curtains. And doesn't the chance of getting caught make it more thrilling?"

"You and I have varying ideas of what thrilling means."

 

~

 

Hanji went to unlock the shop door, only to find it already unlocked, and all their fears settled at the front of their mind. "Oh no..." They threw open the door in a panic. "We've been robbed!"

"We haven't been robbed! I just showed up early!" Levi shouted from the back room.

Hanji sighed in relief, walking in and shutting the door. "Why the hell would you do that? I can't even to get you to come in on time with enthusiasm."

"I'm getting a piercing before the customers start coming in!" Eren hollered.

"Oh!" Hanji said delightedly, coming to the back room. "Eren, my sunshine! What are you getting?"

"Belly ring!" The two answered simultaneously.

"Can I check on the progress?" Hanji asked, walking up to the curtains.

"No!" Came another joined shout.

Hanji furrowed their brows. "Um, okay. Sorry about that."

"It's fine... I'm just... afraid I'm gonna puke," Eren lied lamely. "I don't want you to see that, I heard some people do that when they can't handle the pain. I'm not sure how I'll hold up."

"Oh, okay. Well, best of luck to ya! I wanna see when you're done!" Hanji headed back into the front room. "And Levi, try to hurry. If my memory is correct, you got an appointment as soon as we open up."

"Gotcha."

Hanji got to pulling out the appointment book, then starting up the computer to check emails and update themselves on the progress with shipments of tracing paper and gloves. They could barely hear Levi and Eren going back and forth, quietly talking about something, but they were too caught up in their work to bother tuning in.

They looked away from the monitor, hearing the bell chime as Petra walked in. "Hey, Hanji."

"Hey, Petra. Your first appointment of the day canceled, so you're free for a bit. Want me to put out on social media that you're free for walk ins?"

"Sure, that's cool." Petra nodded, walking into the back room and raising a brow at the curtains set up. "Is Levi here?"

"Yep," Levi replied.

"What're you doing here so early?" Petra asked, setting down her purse and settling into her chair.

"I'm giving Eren a belly ring."

Petra lit up at the mention of the other. "Oh, hi Eren!"

"Hi, Petra—" Eren's voice cracked at the last syllable of her name.

Petra squinted. "You good?"

"Yeah... the cleaner is cold," he said honestly, but she didn't have to know Levi was cleaning away a completely different spot.

"Don't worry, if you can handle getting tattooed, you can handle getting a belly ring," Petra said comfortingly, spinning in her chair.

"Oh, I know." 

Petra pulled out her phone and started answering text messages, but the squeaks and muffled yelps from behind the curtain kept distracting her. 

"Eren, you gotta hold still," Levi gently reminded his boyfriend.

"I know I'm just scared."

"Can I watch?" Petra asked.

"No!" The two yelled.

"Why not?"

"Eren's scared he'll throw up and he doesn't want anyone to see just in case," Levi lied.

"I don't hear any heaving!" Hanji hollered.

"Aw, Eren, I've seen people throw up before. It's fine! I can hold your hand or help make you feel more comfortable by—"

"I'm okay!"

Petra narrowed her eyes at the curtain. 

"Hold still..." Levi whispered. "I'll count down again. Three... two—"

Petra heard a sharp inhale and a squeak from Eren, followed by a silent but high pitched "Fu- you jackass..."

"Heh, he did the trick where he goes in too soon, huh?" Petra laughed.

"Sure did," Eren said through clenched teeth.

"It went in fine," Levi said. "You did good, angel."

"And you didn't vomit!" Petra congratulated him. "Can I see?"

"No!"

Petra crossed her arms frustratedly. 

"I just need a minute!" Eren said.

Several minutes passed as the two took care of the piercing and Eren had long enough to see the results and decided that he was happy to get it done. Once he had his panties and skirt back on, Levi opened up the curtains and Petra immediately came over to see his belly ring that was wonderfully displayed under his crop top.

"Wow, it suits you!" Petra exclaimed, trying to get a closer look. "Do you like it?"

"I love it, worth all the pain." Eren smirked over at Levi, knowing he'd get the message. 

Hanji came through the doorway, hearing that they'd finished and smiled at Eren's visibly new addition to his body modifications. "Holy shit, that looks real nice on you."

"Thanks, Levi did a great job," Eren beamed. 

"Well? Come on! Take a look in the full body mirror and see how it fits ya." 

Eren went to take a step and had to hide a wince at the feeling that came with it. He walked slowly and carefully as he made his way to the mirror, clearly uncomfortable. Levi tried to act as if he didn't notice but Hanji and Petra stared with concern.

"You okay there, champ?" Hanji asked.

"Mhm!" Eren nodded and stood to see his reflection, pretending to have seen it this way for the first time. "It's beautiful, thank you so much, Levi." 

"No problem." Levi kissed his cheek and escorted him to the front. "It'll be opening time soon, I need to set up. When I get home I'll check everything out, make sure you're doing fine. Make sure to look through the aftercare instructions a bit more."

"I will. I'll see you when you get home." Eren gave Levi a parting kiss.

"Why you walking like that?" Petra asked, leaning against the doorway.

"Oh, um... The heels are starting to hurt," he said. "I haven't broke them in yet."

"Didn't Levi get you those shoes like two years ago, though?"

"Well, I gotta go!" Eren left as quick as he could.

Hanji and Petra stared at Levi for an uncomfortably long moment. In all honesty, he thought he was in the clear but as he walked back to his station, Hanji pulled at his collar. "You pierced his ass, didn't you?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That type of piercing is a real thing but it is soooo difficult to take care of, you have to be absolutely committed to getting it and knowing what to do. It's also at high risk of infections for obvious reasons.
> 
> If you liked this, please leave a comment or kudos! My tumblrs are dr-s--art, the-witch-daddy, and extraeren. I'm sorry for any errors, I don't edit. Thank you for reading! <3


	26. Freehand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi's job takes him to another country and he brings a surprise for Eren.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ITS TIME FOR THE CHAPTER YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR EVEN IF YOU DIDNT KNOW IT.
> 
> I had one of the best nights ever yesterday and I just feel so good and I want to post another chapter because why not. This chapter is so sappy and self indulgent, I had to write it, don't look at me.
> 
> Here's Eren's dress in the first half: https://extraeren.tumblr.com/post/160266309235/moonprismpwr-merbaby
> 
> Enjoy!

"Okay... okay, we'll be there. Thank you so much... yup, you too. Bye." Hanji hung up the phone and wrote down details of the phone call they'd just ended. They looked up, finding a customer standing in front of them. "All set?" They took the payment and eyed the clock, glad that they were the last customer of the day. "Have a nice night!" They waved as the customer left and stood to head to the back room, nearly colliding with Levi.

"Goodnight Hanji, I'm out of here," Levi muttered, trying to speed past them.

"Not so fast! I've got good news."

"Can it wait?" Levi groaned. "I'm already late. Eren's waiting for me and I promised him I'd be there a half hour ago for dinner."

"This concerns him too."

Levi narrowed his eyes at them. "How so?"

Hanji crossed their arms smugly. "Guess where the next convention I just booked us for is."

"I'm in a hurry here, I'm not guessing."

"Alright, Mr. Killjoy. It's that one in France." Levi widened his eyes. "Don't you think that would be a great opportunity for some quality time with your lovely—"

"I gotta go." Levi headed out the door.

"A 'thank you, Hanji' would be nice next time!"

 

~

 

Levi rushed through the restaurant he'd reserved for him an Eren, picking up his lover from his seat as soon as he found him and pulling him into a tight embrace before breaking out into a rambling mess. "I am so sorry, Petra wasn't at work and we had a walk in and Hanji just sent him in without telling me, and I didn't forget about our date, I promise, and I love you so much, and I tried to get here on time, I really did, and this won't happen again, I'll make it up to you—"

"Levi!" Eren giggled, pulling himself away, eyeing the people staring. "Baby, it's okay, these things happen. I was just worried when you didn't show up."

"You're not mad?"

"Of course not. We've been dating for years, I didn't think you'd stand me up."

Levi let out a sigh of relief and let Eren sit back down, settling in the chair across from him. "I'm sorry for worrying you, dove. Did you order yet?"

"No, I waited for you. I knew you'd get here and there's no way I'd start without you, especially on our three year anniversary."

Levi smiled at him, grateful that he wasn't too upset. "How did I get so lucky to have someone as forgiving and wonderful as you?"

"There's nothing to forgive you for, you being late wasn't your fault."

Levi reached his hand across the table, setting it on Eren's and taking in the angelic image before him. As per usual, Eren had dramatically applied makeup and was wearing a dress Levi had bought him months ago. A new favorite of his, being a glittering garment that started as magenta at the top and blended into blue at the bottom. But Levi was more concerned with his smile and his gleaming eyes that never failed to hypnotize him.

"You are the most gorgeous person in existence. You get more and more beautiful by the day," Levi breathed.

Eren looked down briefly as his smile widened, just like he always did when Levi would compliment him. "And there isn't a soul more handsome than you."

"Now you're just exaggerating."

Eren chuckled. "You did it first," he reasoned.

"Every word I tell you is the truth, I would never lie to you about anything. And you are the most beautiful person ever, end of discussion."

Eren laughed again, and their conversation was cut short once the waitress arrived to take their orders. Levi just ordered a random meal, more concerned with spending quality time with his significant other rather than what they ate. 

The waitress left and they were given privacy again. Levi folded his hands together, thinking of how to bring up the news with Eren. Ever since the second Hanji confirmed that they could go to the convention they'd been eyeing, he started devising a plan. "Love, do you like going to the tattoo conventions with me?"

Eren nodded. "Yeah, they're really fun. The only thing I don't like is that you're busy the majority of the time, but I enjoy them."

Levi hummed in response. "Well, Hanji booked us for another one. Only thing is, it's far away, and though it only lasts a few days, we'd be sticking around for a little over a week. Would you want to go?"

Eren seemed hesitant, his gaze drifting off into space. "... I don't know. I'd have to take vacation days for that, but maybe." He took a sip of his drink, mulling over his options.

Levi nodded, positive of his answer once he gave the most important detail. "Alright. Well... it is in France, so—"

Eren nearly choked on his drink, holding the cup in front of his mouth in case he couldn't get it down. He took a moment, swallowed and set down his glass, finding Levi smirking when he looked back at him. Clearing his throat, he sat up straight. "I think my schedule opened up."

"I thought it might," Levi said. "The convention itself is just outside of Paris, but we'll be able to go there once it's over."

Eren started smiling so wide his face hurt. "And I get to come with?"

"Of course. You think I would go there for any reason and not bring you?"

Eren bounced in his seat. "When is it?" 

"A few months from now, so we have plenty of time to get ready. Do you have a passport?"

"I will soon!" 

Levi couldn't help but grin at Eren's excitement. "It only lasts for three days, so the rest of the stay, we can do whatever we want. We can go sightseeing, I think you'd like some of the shops there, and everything's closed on Sundays, so we could stay in our hotel suite and enjoy the view and have some alone time, you know?"

Eren couldn't sit still with all the overwhelming thoughts flooding his mind. "We'll have to make a list of everything we want to do! I don't want to forget anything. Oh gosh, I wanna see Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, and maybe go to the Louvre!"

"Okay, well, we've got plenty of time. I'll make sure we hit up everything you want," Levi promised, bringing Eren's hand up to kiss it.

Eren's heart melted. "What do you want to do the most when we're there?"

"Watch you freak out every few blocks," Levi answered as if it was obvious.

 

~

 

The next day, while Eren was at work, Levi picked up his sister without giving her much of an idea of why he needed her to be with him other than the fact that she was -in his opinion- the one who could assist him, but she climbed into his car anyway. "The place we're going to is a couple hours away, but—"

"Ughhh!" Mikasa groaned, sliding down in her seat, reminding Levi a bit of his own sister.

"But," Levi repeated. "I'll pay for lunch, let me know if you need to stop somewhere to take a piss or something."

"Where are we even going?"

"I'll get to that." Levi pulled onto the highway. "Now, I'm pretty confident in my familiarity of Eren's preferences, but I think you can help me make the best decision. Would you say that you can accurately predict whether or not he would like something on terms of aesthetics?"

Mikasa thought it was an odd question. "Uh... yeah, I've lived right by him my whole life until he moved out, and we always go shopping together. So, I guess."

"Okay, and you're familiar with his taste in jewelry?"

Mikasa shrugged. "Big, chunky, colorful, and shiny."

"Alright, you're perfect."

Mikasa quirked an eyebrow at him. "Perfect for what?"

"Can you keep something to yourself?"

"Of course."

Levi took a deep breath, preparing himself. He hadn't even told people close to him, not even his own mother. "Mikasa... I've been dating your brother for a long time now, and I feel that I've waited long enough. I'm in love with him and I don't want anyone else but him, so it would mean a great deal to me if I had your blessing to marry him."

Mikasa gasped, holding a hand to her mouth and bending in half, not able to process the shock. She stayed in that position silently, making Levi laugh. "Fuck, I didn't see this going in that direction!"

Levi couldn't look at her for long, focusing on the road, and even though he was almost certain of her answer, he became nervous by the second. "He's the most wonderful person in the world, I want to spend the rest of my life with him and I'll do everything in my power to make him happy."

Mikasa sat up again, her eyes watering, but a massive grin plastered onto her features. "You have my blessing, Levi. And I can promise you, you have our parents' blessing too."

Levi would never say it out loud, but he would've proposed to Eren even if his family had something to say about it. Even so, it relieved him to know that he had their support. "This means a lot to me, thank you so much."

"To be honest, before you came in the picture, you would be the last person I'd want Eren to end up with."

"... Thank you for that."

"But once you showed up..." Mikasa nodded to herself approvingly. "I don't know if Eren's told you about his past relationships—"

"He has, in detail."

"Then you'd know they're all garbage," Mikasa finished. "Well, I'm not comparing you to them, because they make any halfway decent person look like a saint, but after seeing him in those relationships, I didn't want anything for him but the perfect guy. I felt that way before, but I was more conscious of it afterwards. And when I met you, you were grumpy, blunt, you had this constant miserable face, and you were a bit of an ass, really and well... Not much has changed—"

"Again, thank you."

"But your personality isn't what I'm looking at anymore. From what I've observed from your relationship with Eren," Mikasa started to count off on her fingers. "From day one, you've always treated Eren with respect, you've always spoiled him, you've always given him everything he wants and more, always defended him, you're proud to show him off, you stand up for him, you protect him, you support him and his choices, you genuinely care about him and his wellbeing, you give him help when he needs it, you worry when he's hurt physically or emotionally, you're happy for his successes, you love him as he is without wanting to change him, you build him up instead of wearing him down, and most importantly, you've made him happier than he's ever been. Not only that, but you've never hurt him, you're not ashamed of him, you don't hide your relationship, you don't treat him as if he's lesser than you, you've never been unfaithful, you've never ignored him, you've never silenced him, and you've never made him feel like anything less than a king. So, I may have not thought much of you at first, but after seeing your relationship and how it's affected him, I wouldn't want anybody else to marry him but you. So, hell yeah you have my blessing, I'll get ordained and officiate the damn ceremony if I have to."

Levi smiled to himself. "You don't know how relieved I am to hear that you're fine with it. I've actually wanted to marry him since I met him, but I think that would've weirded him out if I did."

Mikasa scoffed. "Who doesn't want to marry him? He's amazing. But only few deserve him, and I think you're worthy."

"Sometimes I think I'm not good enough for him. He deserves the best."

Mikasa looked over at Levi. "He does, and that's why I'm fine with you being the one to marry him. You go above and beyond for him. I think you deserve him."

Levi fell silent. If there was anything he wanted besides to be with Eren forever, it was to be deserving of him, to be the one that was best for him and gave him all he needed. 

A heavy silence fell between them, and it was a tad more than uncomfortable considering how quickly they were responding moments ago.

"... So, where are we going?" Mikasa spoke up.

"To a jeweler for Eren's ring."

"Oh, cool."

 

~

 

Levi wanted to go to a jeweler that made custom rings, since he was certain that he'd never find one that was perfect for Eren that was already made. Once they arrived, an employee led them to a private room to discuss the specifics of the ring, inviting them to sit down across from them in front of their desk.

"I'm Mina," the woman introduced herself, shaking Levi and Mikasa's hands. "I'll help you with the design of your ring. So, what's the occasion? If I may ask."

"I'm looking for an engagement ring," Levi said.

"Oh, wonderful! Are the two of you getting married?" Mina beamed.

Levi and Mikasa looked at each other uncomfortably. "Ugh," Mikasa grunted.

"God, no." Levi grimaced.

"He's proposing to my brother, I'm just here to help him make a decision," Mikasa filled in with her hands in a defensive position.

"My apologies," Mina excused herself. "Well, do you have any ideas on what you want the ring to be made of or what you want it to look like? If you don't, we have several books that you can look through to give you direction."

"Well..." Levi began. "I'm not entirely sure of the design, but I know I want it to be colorful." He looked over to Mikasa, unsure of his preferences. "What do you think? I know he wants all colors all the time, but is that what he'd want for an engagement ring?"

Mikasa nodded. "He doesn't do simplistic, and he hates anything that's not vibrant. If it seems like the obvious choice, it's probably the best choice."

"Alright, then tons of colors, and a busy design?"

"Bingo."

Levi looked back at Mina. "Rainbow, basically."

Mina gave him a blank look but nodded. "... Okay. Do you have any gemstones in mind? Or do you want to have any at all?"

"Yeah, how many can you cram on there?" Levi asked.

"Um, we can fit quite a few, depending on their size and the size of the ring. Which ones were you thinking of?"

Levi tossed a glance at Mikasa. "What's that one that reflects a shit ton of colors?"

Mikasa closed her eyes, trying to think. "Is it... opal?"

"We can do opal," Mina chimed in, sliding a thin book over the desk. "There are a lot of different types of opal, you can have a look through that to see which one you prefer and there are examples in there of what it would look like." She handed them another book. "And here are other stones you might want to have a look at. What were you planning on for the base metal?"

Levi hadn't thought that through. He knew that Eren had plenty of gold and rose gold pieces of jewelry, but he wasn't sure of which one he favored. "I don't know yet..."

"We've got a wide selection from you to choose from as well," Mina plopped another book in front of him.

Levi stared at everything on the desk, a tad overwhelmed. "Uh..."

"You can take all the time you need! One thing at a time," Mina assured him. 

The three of them spent a decent amount of time planning out every little detail. Levi wanted the ring to be absolutely perfect for Eren, and he wouldn't settle for anything less. They ended up with a thick design for the ring, the center being shaped to look like a flower with opal in the center. Shapes and designs would surround the petals and other gemstones of varying hues would be dispersed around the ring. The finished product was as vibrant and beautiful as Eren's personality, so Levi figured it would suit him.

Mina jotted down the last of the details on a note pad. "Alright, we've got the metal, the ring size... now, the last part is optional, but we do offer engravings on the inside of the band. Is that something that interests you?"

Levi gave it some thought, and he wasn't opposed to the idea. Perhaps an engraving would be the last touch to add personal details to the ring. Something that said it wasn't just a piece of jewelry, but also something symbolized their committed relationship. "Could... could you write 'Angel' on it?"

"Of course, is that his name?" Mina asked, scribbling it down.

"Considering how often he calls him that, it might as well be," Mikasa muttered.

Mina nodded, smiling. "Well, that's the last of it. We'll send this in a week from now, in case you call and want something changed. But after that, it'll be about a month until it comes in. Do you have any questions?"

Levi shook his head. "No, I'm all set."

They wrapped up their meeting and soon, Levi and Mikasa were on their way.

 

~

 

It was the day that they left for France and Levi was trying not to be stressed out. He knew he wouldn't be proposing for days, since he'd be waiting for after the convention to pop the question, but the time was so close. He'd spent the past couple months going through what he'd say, how he'd say it and where and when he'd say it. He still wasn't entirely certain of it all, but one thing was for certain; it had to be perfect for Eren. 

"Eren! We should be leaving in a few minutes!" Levi hollered up the stairs. "Are you ready yet?"

"I'm coming!"

Levi waited, watching the clock. All their bags were already in the car, he just needed Eren to come down. And when he did, he tried not to portray the shock he felt.

Eren came out in jean shorts, and a yellow shirt peaking out of a bright green hoodie. He wore sneakers instead of heels, he didn't bother with any makeup and he'd combed his purple locks out to have less volume. "I'm ready."

Levi nodded and they went out the door, locking it and heading into the car. Once on the road, Levi had to say something, especially since Eren didn't look as thrilled to be going to France as he did the previous night. "Changing things up?"

"Hm?" Eren looked over at him.

"The clothes. I've never seen you in... well, pants. Or a sweatshirt. And I didn't even know you owned sneakers."

Eren stared down at his lap. "Oh, right. Well, we're going to the airport, so I thought I'd... you know."

Levi furrowed his brows. "No, I don't know."

"Come on, Levi. You really think they wouldn't give me any problems if I went there dressed like I normally am?"

Levi couldn't exactly deny that, and it killed him. He would've told him to not let what other people might think of him get in his head, but he also didn't want him to receive any harassment. "Has it happened to you before?"

"Pretty much every time that I've flown looking like I do now, I've had no problems, but one time they patted me down twice, and I kinda don't wanna go through that again." 

Levi couldn't blame him. But he also didn't want him to go through the whole day upset, so he set one hand on his knee reassuringly. "Hey, I know people suck, but we're going to France, okay? It's bullshit that people might give you a hard time, but it'll be alright and we're going to have fun."

Eren took a deep breath, clearing his mind. "You're right. I'm sorry, I just hate dressing for other people..."

"And I understand that. It's not fair, but I just don't want it to ruin your whole day."

Eren nodded. "I'll try not to let it."

 

~

 

They arrived on the plane with no problems. The two sat together with Petra and Hanji sat in front of them for the trip. Eren took the window seat, seeming off and bothered, and Levi couldn't help but feel worried. 

"Love? You okay?" Levi held his hand, interlocking their fingers.

Eren put on a brave face, but he couldn't lie to Levi. "I just don't feel good. I feel like people are staring at me."

"Of course they are, you're gorgeous," Levi said, kissing Eren's hand. 

Eren chuckled, but the humor soon left. "I just... I feel like a freak when I dress like this... I don't feel like me, I feel unattractive."

"Did you not just hear me, baby doll? You're gorgeous, no matter what you're wearing. No one is staring at you for a negative reason, and if they are, it's because they're jealous."

Eren appreciated that Levi was trying to make him feel better, but he didn't believe him. "You're too sweet."

"No, just honest."

Eren looked away, thinking he was undeserving of Levi. "I'm just gonna watch a film... take my mind off it."

"Okay." Levi gave Eren a kiss and let him get involved with whatever he was watching on his phone. But he still wasn't satisfied, he wanted Eren to be comfortable and confident as he normally was. And so, he pulled out his sketch pad to pass the time as well as remind his boyfriend of his beauty.

 

~

 

Hours went by, Eren watched a couple films and eventually fell asleep, but Levi kept drawing without taking many breaks. He didn't want to, he was enjoying the subject matter too much. 

Petra turned around in her seat to look at Levi. "Hey, I think we'll be landing soon. You should probably wake him up."

Levi nodded, gently shaking Eren's shoulder. "Angel? Hey, you awake?"

Eren blinked his eyes rapidly, squinting as his vision adjusted to the light. He sat forward to stretch out his arms, yawning in exhaustion. "Are we landed?"

"No, not yet. But soon. We'll be getting there late at night, so you can go right back to sleep when we reach the hotel, okay, beautiful?"

Eren nodded, settling back into his seat. "Sorry I kinda left you by yourself."

Levi shrugged. "It's okay. Used my time wisely." He held up his sketch pad to show Eren an umpteen amount of drawings of him as he was in varying styles. "You're a lovely model."

Eren looked at himself in a cartoon style with his ear phones in while he stared blankly at his phone, and then at a more realistic take on him while he slept. But Levi had filled several pages with his visage, all of them more than flattering. Even when he felt that he looked his worst, Levi found beauty in him and adored him enough to capture his image over and over again.

"Why are you so perfect?" Eren murmured. 

Levi kissed the tip of his nose. "I'm not, you are."

 

~

 

Eren squirmed in his seat, watching Levi and Petra finish wrapping up their last clients before they had their break. Levi glanced at him, snickering a bit. "Doing a little dance there, are ya?"

"No," Eren whined. "I have to go to the restroom," he whispered, not that Levi's client would've heard him.

"Then go."

"I can't! I don't know where it is! And I can't ask, I don't know who speaks English here."

Levi sent off his client to Hanji to pay and started cleaning up his station. "I told you how to ask in French and I said if you weren't comfortable doing that, find Nifa. She's the one putting on the show and she speaks English too."

"I don't know where to find her, I'll just wait until you're done."

"Actually I've got something to take care of quickly, and then we can go get something to eat. Ask Hanji to show you where the restrooms are, we'll wait until you two get back."

"Okay, fine." Eren stood and did as Levi suggested, leaving with Hanji.

Levi stretched out his back, raising his arms above his head, absolutely exhausted. Petra finished taking care of everything and joined Levi in relaxing. "Already tired?" She teased.

"I'm just under a lot of stress on top of doing all the tattoos," Levi sighed, watching Eren leave with Hanji and disappear into the crowd. 

"Stress over what? Travel?"

"Not so much travel, but... can you keep something to yourself for once?"

"For once?" Petra parroted, crossing her arms. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"One of the first things you said to Eren was how many dick piercings I have. Your filter concerns me."

Petra rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I can keep a secret."

Levi took one last glance to be absolutely sure Eren was gone. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the velvet box, flipping it open to show Petra the ring inside.

Petra covered her mouth with her hands, gasping at the sight. "Levi... are you asking him today?"

Levi pocketed the box, shrugging. "I don't know when I'll ask, I just have it on me for safe keeping. 

Petra put a hand over her heart. "It's about damn time!"

Levi smiled to himself. He couldn't agree more.

"Does Hanji know?"

"Yeah, I asked them this morning if they'd discreetly take pictures whenever I decide it's time. I just need to find the perfect moment. No pressure there."

"With how much Eren loves you, anytime is the perfect time. Just saying." 

Levi hoped that was true. He had no doubt in his mind that every bit of love he felt for Eren was reciprocated, but he feared that something would go wrong. He wished that he'd asked Mikasa or any of Eren's friends what his dream proposal looked like so he could make it a moment that he'd treasure forever. All his worries were in the details, so he tried to remind himself not to stress over the insignificant things.

 

~

 

The convention ended and Eren and Levi spent their Sunday in their hotel suite and in the sheets. After three days of work, they just wanted to spend time together and give each other their undivided attention. They spent the entire day wrapped up in each other, free to take all the time in the world with no distractions. And throughout the day, all Levi could think of was how much he loved Eren and how long he'd been ready to promise himself to him. He even considered proposing at the end of the day, but it didn't feel right. So he waited.

And waited.

He thought about popping the question while they were sightseeing, observing monuments and walking through museums, but that wasn't what he wanted. Levi enjoyed himself, taking pictures in the Louvre, walking through Père Lachaise cemetery, ignoring how much his feet ached going up the stairs in the Eiffel Tower, but he enjoyed watching Eren's amazement so much more.

A couple days passed and Levi told himself today was going to be the day. He didn't know where or when it would happen, but it would definitely be today. He hoped. 

The couple, along with Petra and Hanji, went to the Jardin des Plantes, on Petra's request. Eren of course was in awe of all the flowers and their varying hues and Levi had never witnessed a more precious sight that when he fawned over specimens he'd never seen. He showed the most excitement when they reached the garden of irises.

And that's when Levi made the decision.

He let Eren venture forward with Petra and pulled Hanji aside. "I'm scared," he whispered.

Hanji looked up from their phone. "Wait, you're doing it now?"

Levi nodded curtly, biting his lip. 

"Then go! Don't be scared!" Hanji urge him in a hushed voice. "I'm ready to take pictures, I'll even get Petra to get some on her camera. You'll do fine!"

"Hanji... what if he doesn't say yes." Levi stared at Eren from behind, feeling his heart race.

"Oh, Levi, are you really worried about that?" Hanji set a hand on his shoulder. "You know he's mad for you, right?"

"What if he doesn't want to marry me?"

"I can promise you he does. If he says no, it's because it's not the right time, but he's so in love with you." Hanji followed Levi's gaze up to the two ahead of them. "Listen, you've been willing to ask him to marry you since they day you met and you know it. As your friend, I'm not letting you back out now because you're scared. It's okay to be scared, just don't let it stop you." They gave him a subtle shove to punctuate their statement and gave him a thumbs up.

Levi took a deep breath, marching up to Eren, passing Petra and nodding to her, signaling that it was time and she slowed down to stand by Hanji, giving the couple their space. Levi looked back and they were both ready with their camera and phone.

Levi stepped up to Eren's side, wrapping his arm around his waist. Eren leaned into him, still looking at all the flowers. "Are you having fun, love?"

Eren nodded. "It's so beautiful here, I don't ever want to leave."

"We can come back in the future."

Eren lit up like a Christmas tree at that news. 

"We hit everything on your list, right?"

"Mhm! Right after I bought that perfume today, I got everything I wanted to buy and we've been everywhere I wanted to go."

Levi nodded. "What's your favorite thing we've done so far?"

"Either when we went to Notre Dame or the Louvre."

Levi hoped that would be changing in a few minutes. 

Eren pointed to the bed of flowers before them. "These are just so gorgeous."

Levi looked into his eyes, still focused on the irises and he wished he'd rehearsed this. He had so much to say and so much love for this man, he lost any plans he had for his proposal within seconds. "You're more gorgeous, though."

Eren giggled, shaking his head. "You're so sappy."

"I mean it." Levi was ready. "You are the most gorgeous person in the world. Inside and out."

"I am not." Eren started to blush.

"You really are. And I love you more than any other person in the world too. And you are my world. You're just... perfect in every way, and I'm so lucky and grateful to have met you. And you've made me happier than I've ever been every day since we've been together and I can only hope I make you just as happy."

Eren faced Levi and spoke with his most sincere voice, setting his arms around Levi's neck. "You do. Levi, you make me so happy."

Levi just needed to know that. "I'm glad. Eren... you are the most wonderful person. I love everything about you and every little thing you do. Your laugh, your smile, the way you walk, hell, even that unimpressed look you have when you hear a bad joke." Levi reveled in the chuckle that came after that. "You are everything I've ever wanted and more. You're an incredibly talented artist, you're so selfless, you find so much joy in the little things, you're appreciative of everything you have, you always try to be positive, you've got a great sense of humor, you're so much smarter than you give yourself credit for, you're so kind, you're a great listener... you're a real angel."

Eren sensed a different tone in Levi's voice than when he usually complimented him, and it melted his heart.

"Nothing breaks my heart more than when you're sad or hurt, and I want to protect you from everything, as impossible as that seems. And I want to celebrate with you whenever you succeed and I want to spoil you and give you my everything. I love seeing how passionate you get about makeup, and you're stunning with or without it. I love how fascinated you are by things that aren't even in your typical field of interest. I love how innocent you are with your intentions. I even love how quickly you get defensive and angry over your friends and loved ones, because it shows how much you care. I want everyone who does you wrong to answer to me. I want to tell you everything about my days at work. I want to wake up to your face every morning, I want to be there when you overcome things, I want to know all the things that go on in your life, good or bad because it's all important to me, I want everyone to know that I'm all yours..."

Eren was positively beaming, and his eyes even started to water. "Levi... that's... where is all this coming from? Don't get me wrong, these are all the sweetest things I've ever been told, but what brought all that on?"

Levi took in a shaky breath. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you. That's what."

Eren's features leveled from pure joy to shock.

Levi figured this was as good a time as any and stood back, letting his arm around Eren's waist to fall and reached into his pocket. He kneeled down and Eren was already letting tears overflow past his eyes by the time he reached the ground and had the ring on display. 

"Eren Jaeger... will you marry me?"

Eren was nodding before Levi could even finish his sentence, holding a hand to his face and crying freely. "Y-Yes," he sniffled. He helped Levi back to his feet, throwing his arms around him, sobbing into his shoulder. 

There were points in Levi's life when he couldn't imagine feeling any happier. When his sister was born, when he had a tattoo shop all to himself and his closest friends, when Eren said yes to going out with him, and now this. And he was certain the only thing that could top this would be the day they actually got married.

"I love you so much," Eren cried into Levi's shoulder. "Levi, you're my everything, you didn't even have to ask."

"You deserve a proper proposal." Levi leaned away to give Eren a kiss. When they parted, Levi brought up the ring in its case, letting him see it up close. "I had it engraved on the inside."

Eren wiped his tears away to read it, which was in vain, since as soon as he made out the word 'angel,' he started bawling again, letting Levi slip it on his finger.

"Are you okay?" Levi said, chuckling.

Eren nodded. "I'm..." he paused to sniffle. "I'm just so happy." He brought Levi into another hug, never wanting to let go. 

Hanji and Petra both came up to offer their congratulations, but the couple was too busy to notice. "We take it you said yes?" Petra teased.

Eren looked over Levi's shoulder at the two of them. "Did you guys know about this?"

Hanji and Petra shared a look. "... Maybe a little," Hanji said, holding up their phone. "Kinda had to in order to capture the moment, don't you think?"

Levi kept Eren in his arms but stood back to look him in the eye. "I wanted to be able to go back and see the look on your face when I asked you. But I think I can remember how beautiful and happy you look just fine."

Eren laughed, wiping at his eyes with the heel of his hand. "Can't imagine looking good after all this crying. God, my makeup must be a mess," he chuckled, catching false lashes as they slid off from all his tears.

"You're still gorgeous," Levi assured him, giving him a kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~what can I say except you're welcome~~~
> 
> I'm sorry it was so cheesy and typical LET ME LIVE
> 
> If you liked this, please leave a comment or kudos! I'm sorry for any errors, I don't edit. My tumblrs are dr-s--art, the-witch-daddy and extraeren. Thanks for reading!


	27. Surrealism

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi and Eren finally get married!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THERES MORE FAN ART YOU GUYS ARE SO SWEET AND SO TALENTED!!!!! This was done by @junjougrey on tumblr, thank you so much dear! <3 https://the-witch-daddy.tumblr.com/post/166674244354/junjougrey-think-ink-is-a-fanfic-i-enjoyed-and
> 
> Here's Eren's shoes from this chapter! (I actually have these and they're my life) https://extraeren.tumblr.com/post/165955205005/shoes-from-pastel-dreams-uk
> 
> IMPORTANT: there is an exciting announcement at the end of this chapter, so be sure to check it out!
> 
> Enjoy!

Eren looked at all the fabrics layered out on the floor where he was sat and started to get stressed over the order they were in. "... Mikasa, helllp!" He whined indignantly. 

Mikasa stood from her spot on the floor next to the sewing machine and came over to her brother's side. "What do you need?"

"I don't know where to put this last fabric." He showed her the patch of flashy, green, iridescent fabric, absolutely beside himself.

"Just... put it anywhere. It'll look good no matter where you place it."

"Oh yeah, just toss a coin, make a random decision, what does it matter? It's only gonna be the most important garment of my life."

They were working on his wedding dress, and since Eren didn't know how to sew, Mikasa offered to help whenever she had free time. He wanted a massive gown with patchwork to make the end result look like a conglomerate dress of gorgeous patterns, textures, and colors. But arranging everything in the order he wanted was taking longer than he planned.

The siblings worked through the dilemma eventually and they each went back to doing their own work. Mikasa got to sewing the pieces of fabric together while Eren pinned layers of tulle onto his dress form. "This is nice, just you and me hanging out, working on something together," Eren said. 

"It is, the last time it was just the two of us was like right after you two got engaged. That was ages ago."

"Only like six months... okay, that is awhile." 

Mikasa snickered, starting up the sewing machine. "Okay, before I get too far into this, do you plan on wearing your prosthetic for the ceremony? I need to know for measurements."

"Yeah, I will."

"Alright."

They both heard a knock at the door and Mikasa jumped up to answer it. She opened the door just a crack and peaked out to see Levi. "Yes?"

Levi raised a brow at her. "Hey, what are you doing here?"

"I'm helping Eren make his wedding dress."

"Oh, I thought he was going to buy one."

"He was, but him, his friends and I went out a couple times and he didn't find anything he wanted. So, we're gonna make it instead."

Levi nodded trying to look around her. "Cool, can I see it?"

Mikasa stood in the way. "Yeah, when you get married. Not now."

Levi chuckled. "Is he superstitious?"

"Very!" They heard Eren yell from inside.

Levi laughed. "Okay, that's fair. Well, I brought dinner, and I guess there's enough for three people, so come down when you guys are ready."

"Will do." Mikasa shut the door. "Levi's got food, wanna go eat?"

"In just a couple minutes," Eren said, sticking more pins in the tulle. "Wanna finish this, and then I'll go."

Mikasa crossed her arms, looking at the dress form and back at the array of fabric. She tried to envision the finished product on Eren and what he'd look like at the altar. "Think you'll be able to keep it together when you get married?"

"Absolutely not, I'll probably be a blubbering mess," Eren said, still focused on his work.

Mikasa huffed out an amused breath. "It's weird, I've known you all my life and I've never seen you cry because you're happy."

Eren smiled to himself, shrugging. "Well... it'll be the best day of my life, of course I'll cry. I never thought anyone would want to marry me, and the fact that the perfect guy wants to spend the rest of his life with me... it's the best feeling in the world. He's my dream guy and he wants to be with me forever."

"Well," Mikasa started. "Let the record show that plenty of people would give anything for the chance to marry you, Levi just happens to be the only one you've dated that deserves you."

"No, I'm the one who doesn't deserve him—"

"I'm leaving, hopefully whatever Levi brought home wasn't as cheesy as that."

 

~

 

Eren treated Levi out to lunch on another day that they both had off together. They sat outside of a restaurant, still working out details of the wedding while they ate. Eren had out a notepad that he was frequently writing in and reread his check points. "We still have to send out invitations," he sighed.

"We can get that done real soon," Levi said. "We just have to get the invitations first."

Eren underlined 'send invitations,' reading over the rest of the list. "Okay, then we need to find somebody to officiate the whole thing. That should be fun," he mumbled sarcastically.

"... You're not gonna believe this, but Hanji is qualified."

Eren looked up at Levi. "... No they're not."

"I'm not kidding, they took an online course after I hired them to be the shop manager."

"Why?"

"Something about them 'being the captain of our fine ship of a business and needing to act as one,' I don't know. They said it'd come in handy if anyone ever wanted to get married at the shop, they'd be ready, but Petra and I said that wouldn't be happening."

Eren paused, thinking it over. "I don't know if this is the part of me that's desperate to get everything on this list done talking, but I wouldn't mind if Hanji did it."

"Alright, I have no problem with it. I think they'd do a great job."

Eren checked that bullet point off the list and write Hanji's name next to it. "Alright, now..." He stopped at the next thing on the list. 'Ask Levi.' He bit his lip, not sure if he should wait.

"What is it?" Levi leaned over to read what Eren had written, only for him to hold the notepad away from him. "Is everything okay?"

"I just... I have a question for you but I'm not sure what you'll think of it."

Levi reached across the table to hold Eren's hand. "You're my fiancé, I'm not gonna judge you or anything you're gonna ask me."

Eren figured he was right. They'd be getting married soon, he had no reason to be nervous with him. "What do think of me having... groom's maids?"

"I don't mind. Did you think I was gonna tell you no?" Levi chuckled. 

"No, it's just... I'm more concerned with how your family will take it. I know my family probably won't bat an eye at it, but I haven't met a lot of your relatives and I know that they know you're marrying a man, but I'm already worried they'll give you a hard time because of how I'll dress. I don't know how they'd take it if we followed, well... to be honest, very heteronormative traditions."

Levi shrugged. "I can promise you that they won't care."

Eren nodded. "I guess I'm also worried that they'll think we're trying to 'look straight' or something stupid like that. Obviously I'm very feminine and you're not and I don't want people to get wrong impressions."

"I get that. But fuck it, if this is the kind of wedding you want, then we'll do that. Just because you typically only see bridesmaids and groomsmen at weddings for a man and a woman doesn't mean we can't have something similar. Wedding traditions aren't exclusive to straight couples. Hell, if you even want your dad to walk you down the isle, toss the bouquet, the whole shebang, then go for it, fuck what people think."

Eren beamed at his fiancé. "You're right. Fuck heteronormativity. And hey, my groom's maids don't even have to be all women. Anyone we feel close enough to who wouldn't mind wearing a dress and standing on my side is invited to be a groom's maid. There's nothing to it, who cares about rules?"

"Same here, no matter the gender, if we're close enough to the person and they want to be on my side wearing a suit, or hey even dress shirt and a skirt, then I'm cool with that."

Eren snapped his fingers when the realization hit him. "I have an old friend who's really butch and I'd love for her to be in the wedding."

"And one of my younger cousins does drag and they're really good at it and we've always been close," Levi added excitedly. 

"Great! So we're doing this?" 

"Yeah, fuck how things are supposed to be done."

"Yeah, fuck it," Eren agreed.

Levi looked down at his food, snickering.

"What?" Eren laughed. "What's funny?"

"It's just really cute when you swear."

 

~

 

"Eren, I'll never forgive you for making me do this," Annie muttered, putting makeup on Isabel. "You know how much I hate doing makeup for weddings."

"Don't complain, just be happy for him," Sasha said, doing Petra's makeup. "It's his wedding day, be nice."

Eren smiled over at Annie, taking a break from his own makeup. "I know you don't like it, but I'm so grateful that you said yes. I know you rather wouldn't be doing this, but you and Sasha are the best at what you do."

Annie glared at him briefly. "... I am pretty good."

Eren looked around in their room. His side of the ceremony consisted of himself, his sister as his maid of honor, Annie, Sasha, Isabel, Petra and two of Levi's cousins. They all had identical dresses that he picked out, the only difference being the colors (which spread across the entire color spectrum, as expected of Eren). He looked back in the mirror and continued to apply his makeup, trying to get it as theatrical and extravagant as he could. He saved the eyes for last, needing the makeup to be fresh, as he was sure that he wouldn't make it through the night without shedding a few tears.

He wanted to look absolutely perfect if that was possible. Mikasa and him finished his dress with the umpteen amount of beautiful fabrics that splayed out from the hips and a split up the side that reached halfway up the leg. It was vibrant, fun and loud in every way but somehow still elegant. He had his nails done just for the occasion, he went out to have the purple dye in his hair touched up, and he took every measure to arrive at the altar without a flaw. He'd brought a pair of shoes with crystals on the back, knowing they'd be visable through the slit in his dress, he adorned heavy jewelry on his hands, wrists and ears, and wore the necklace Levi had bought him years ago when they first started going out. He even made sure his undergarments were perfect for after the reception, because he was a bit of a perfectionist.

Mikasa came over to him, putting her hands on his shoulder and smiling at him through the mirror's reflection. "You look beautiful."

"Thanks," Eren beamed. "You do too."

"Thank you, but no one can show you up today. You brought your veil?" Mikasa knew how much he'd stressed over it. He ordered the fabric over the internet, finding a bright purple lace material with metallic blue thread weaved in, giving it a duo-chrome effect, only for it to arrive three days before the wedding and panicking to get it done in time.

"Mhm! It's in my bag."

"And the bouquets are all set?"

"They're in the back of the room." Eren had bouquets arranged of every color he could think of, which came as no surprise to anyone. "Does everyone have their shawls?" Levi and him agreed to have an element on each side that tied the color schemes together. The venue was decorated in black, white and grey, with the rainbow integrated within it all. So since Eren's groom's maids were dressed in so many colors, they had shawls starting from white and progressively getting blacker down the line. And Levi's groomsmen were of course wearing black, white and grey suits, but had colorful flowers in their breast pockets.

"Yup, everyone is ready." Mikasa took in the role of the maid of honor with no issues. She put herself in charge of everything that remotely stressed Eren out, wanting to give her little brother the dream wedding he deserved. "Okay, what am I forgetting... oh! You've got something blue?"

Eren stuck out his leg, showing her his glittering blue stockings, as if he didn't have blue everywhere else, along with every other color of the rainbow. "Check."

"Something new?"

"The veil is as new as it gets."

"Something old?"

"The necklace and the ring on my pinky."

"Good, and something borrowed?"

"Yup! One of Levi's cousins lent me these earrings." 

Annie looked over from where she sat, starting on her own makeup. "You don't strike me as someone who follows such conventional traditions," she commented.

Eren shrugged. "I like them, I don't see why they have to be exclusive to women. And I grew up watching wedding shows with my mom and goddamn it, I'm going through all the steps I pictured doing in my head as a kid."

"Yeah!" One of Levi's cousins who happened to identify as nonbinary shouted from across the room, having overheard him. "Fuck the gender binary!"

"Yeah, fuck it!" Eren agreed, laughing. "By the way, I appreciate you dying your beard pink to match your dress for the occasion. It looks terrific!"

"Thanks, it was green before!" 

"Who's that?" Mikasa whispered.

"One of Levi's cousins, they were really close growing up. Another one of his cousins is over there." Eren pointed over to his husband to be's relative dressed in drag. "I didn't know it at the time, but they're why Levi wasn't worried about what his family would think when he first brought me to meet them. His whole family is very accepting."

"Well, that's good," Mikasa hummed. "Are you going to be ready soon? I don't mean to rush, but we're on a schedule."

"I just need twenty minutes and then I'll be good."

"Okay." Mikasa patted his shoulder gently. "I'm really happy for you."

"Thank you, Mikasa." Eren set his hand on hers, glad that he had so much support from the people that mattered most to him. 

 

~

 

Levi tapped his foot anxiously, watching all the groomsmen finish getting ready and wondering if it was a bad thing that he was already done. 

He struggled with choosing who'd be on his side of the ceremony, he wasn't close with an awful lot of people. But eventually he narrowed it down to Oluo, Nanaba, one of Eren's old friends Ymir, one of his relatives, two friends from ages ago - Gunther and Erd, and he decided his best man would be Mike, who he'd known for most of his life. They were all still combing their hair, fixing their suits and checking out each other just to be sure they were all in order. It was Eren's idea to have their suits forming a gradient, so when they stood together, Nanaba would be dressed in all black and each person's tux would be lighter than the last until the end with Mike dressed in white. Everyone was calm and taking their time. Meanwhile, Levi was sitting in the corner and stressing himself out.

Nanaba was the first to join Levi in sitting down. "Excited?"

Levi nodded, sighing. "Excited... and terrified."

"Terrified about what?"

"I'm not really sure, I just don't want to fuck anything up. I've got all of my vows memorized, but I'm scared that I'll see Eren and just forget everything."

"You know you can just read off your vows from a sheet of paper, right?"

Levi widened his eyes at her. "No! I didn't know I was allowed to do that!"

Nanaba snickered. "For a couple with one of the grooms wearing a dress and two ladies for groomsmen, I'd think you wouldn't care about what you're 'allowed to do.' Did you at least bring your vows with you?"

"No, that was the whole point of having them memorized!" Levi started to panic. 

"Easy there, Levi," Nanaba shushed him. "I know you're nervous, and I don't blame you. It's a big day, I'd be surprised if you weren't nervous. But remember, today isn't about getting everything perfect, it's about how much you two love each other. If you forget your vows, just go off on everything you love about him."

Levi nodded, taking slow breaths. "That might take too long."

Nanaba laughed, patting his hand. "That's okay, weddings are supposed to be long. And hey, it's better to go on and on than have nothing to say." She stood up motioning for Levi to stand with her. She straightened up his tie and made sure his hair was parted neatly. She turned him around to look in the mirror. "Eren's a lucky man."

Levi exhaled slowly, still trying to relax. "Not as lucky as me."

 

~

 

Levi briefly glanced around the venue with all the guests sat, waiting for the ceremony to begin. The couple agreed to have an outdoor wedding and held the ceremony in the garden of a local park. Though they were both being perfectionists about the entire day, they didn't organize an extravagant setup. The chairs were black, sleek, and simple, as was the arch placed at the altar. The flowers surrounding the area were enough color to make Eren happy, which was all Levi wanted. 

He waited with the rest of the wedding party and Hanji (who he begged to not make him laugh and mess up his vows beforehand), and watched as Carla walked Eren down the aisle and his breath was taken away instantly. 

Though Eren loved his father and wanted every wedding tradition in the book to be covered, they all decided that it felt right for Carla to be the one to walk with him.

Levi felt too many emotions at once to handle. Even though he wore a veil, Levi could see his husband-to-be's face well and could feel his heart racing. He initially felt nervous, but he couldn't have been more ready to marry him. He was so taken with Eren's beauty and so utterly in love with the man, he couldn't stand not being married to him for another second. Levi couldn't say that he was more beautiful than he'd ever been, but he could say that Eren's beauty never failed to make him weak. And he correctly predicted that he'd forget everything he had to say as soon as he saw him. He was too happy.

Eren was struggling to keep his eyes dry, seeing how adoring Levi looked waiting for him. His mother released him, taking her seat and he met up with Levi, letting him unveil him and the look Levi gave him pushed him that much closer to tears. "You still want to marry me, right?" He whispered, trying to fend off his overwhelming thoughts with a joke.

Levi chuckled discreetly. "Of course, angel." Levi looked him up and down, taking in every detail of Eren's dress, his makeup, his jewelry, but spent the most time admiring how happy he looked. "You're stunning."

Eren had to hold back the tears that he was certain would come any minute now.

Hanji distracted them both by beginning the ceremony with enough volume to reach every one of the guests clearly. 

It was a somewhat lengthy ceremony. Hanji had so many well wishes to offer. Eren had to keep pausing to keep himself together. Levi remembered the majority of his vows, but he forgot the ending so he took Nanaba's advice and babbled about how much he loved and cared about Eren and how happy he was to be his, which brought Eren further to the edge of tears. 

The couple exchanged rings, both of them being rather simplistic, and then it was time. Hanji pronounced their marriage official, they shared a finalizing kiss, and that was the end of it. Though the entire ceremony was long, it went by so quickly for the couple and it was hard to believe that after all this time, they could finally call themselves husbands.

 

~

 

"You know I love your sister, but she can't dance," Eren laughed as he and Levi waited in the elevator, wrapping his hands around Levi's arm.

"Don't tell her that. It's probably Farlan's fault too. His dancing is shit and she spends too much time with him." Levi said. The reception ended and the two left to a hotel where they'd spend the night before they left the next day to go on their honeymoon. "I'm glad everyone had a good time though, I told you my family wouldn't mind how things were done."

"You were right." Eren placed a kiss on Levi's cheek for what must've been the millionth time that day. 

Levi smirked to himself, eyeing the door, waiting to reach their floor. "I thought it was rather cruel of you to wear heels to make it hard for me to kiss you on our wedding day."

Eren leaned into Levi more, faking a pout. "I didn't mean to make it hard for you. Why didn't you go hard and wear stilts? It's a two way thing."

"When you're as short as I am, it's really not."

"You've got nowhere to go but up, I can't get any shorter," Eren said. "It won't matter in a few minutes though. Remember that."

The elevator door opened and the couple couldn't get out and into their room fast enough. Once in the privacy of their own suite, Eren looked around at the spacious room in awe. "Wow, I didn't think it would be this big!"

Levi hauled in the last suitcase, shaking off his shoes. "I'm not gonna say what you and I are both thinking."

Eren rolled his eyes amusedly. "That's not exactly romantic."

Levi wove his arms around his lover's waist, pulling him close. "I can get romantic. I know we've both got an idea of how we want to spend tonight, but it's been a long day. So, do you wanna start out with a nice bath?"

Eren hummed contentedly. "That's tempting. We could definitely do that at some point, but if we do it first then we'd have to skip right past my surprise for you."

Levi quirked an eyebrow at him. "Oh really? It seems that you're always surprising me."

"Want me to stop?"

"Fuck no." Levi pulled Eren down to connect their lips, smiling through the kiss. He couldn't believe he was finally at this point. Years ago, Eren was just a stranger. Granted, he was the most magnificent and alluring stranger he'd ever seen who stole his heart in mere seconds, but he was a stranger nonetheless. And he dreamed of them meeting a second time, but now he was finally married to this wonderful man who always occupied his thoughts.

Eren pulled back, resting his forehead on Levi's, taking a shaky breath. His eyes started watering as the weight of the time caught up to him. "I can't believe I made it this long," he joked, wiping away a stray tear. 

Levi brought a hand to his husband's cheek. "Angel?"

Eren placed his hand over Levi's. "Yes?"

"Can we please sit so you're not so hard to reach?" 

Eren laughed and it reminded Levi how that would forever be his favorite sound. "Sure, let's do that." They walked over to the bed, sitting themselves down and while they weren't planning on doing anything new, Eren could feel his heart pounding relentlessly. He was just too head over heels for Levi and over the moon with pure joy knowing that Levi was his forever and knowing that he loved him as much as he did.

"Eren, you are so gorgeous." 

Eren could feel more tears rolling down. "How many times are you going to say that today?"

"As many times as it takes to be sure you never forget it. And until it stops making you blush that pretty color."

"Not to take away from how that makes me feel when you say that, but my face is probably red from the crying," Eren chuckled. 

Levi moved back on the bed, taking Eren with him. "As long as they're not sad tears, I'm okay with that."

"Never sad tears with you." Eren started taking off his accessories, one by one, not wanting them to get in the way. Once everything extra was gone, he tugged beneath the top of his gown, pulling at a strap and latching it around his neck. "Ready?"

Levi raised his brows. "Is this part of the surprise?"

"It might be," Eren teased. "You always tell me how much you like it when I wear lingerie, so I went all out."

Eren didn't let Levi undress him yet, he first focused on removing Levi's clothes and spoiling him with an umpteen amount of kisses all over his face, jaw and neck. When he was left in just his boxers, Eren sat back and reached behind himself to undo his dress.

"Need some help?" Levi offered.

"I'd love some." Eren turned around for Levi to take apart the lacing in the back.

"You're really not going to take the shoes off? Are you trying to send a message or something?"

Eren laughed, shaking his head. "I like having a complete look."

Levi slid off Eren's dress, revealing lingerie and matching harness straps embellishing his lovely skin, all in colors equally as vivid as his gown. Eren set the dress aside, showing off his legs in the stockings held up with garters. Any other day, Levi would've been drooling, but he was more touched than aroused over the fact that Eren did this just for him on their special day. 

Levi shook his head, staring at Eren's attire. "You're too perfect for your own good." He kissed Eren again before he could protest by saying some ridiculous nonsense like 'I'm not perfect.' He could do no wrong in Levi's eyes.

The two laid down together, Levi running his hands all over Eren's body. He started to tug at his panties, but Eren stopped him. "That's not necessary."

Levi narrowed his eyes at him. "What do you mean?"

"Look."

Eren spread his legs for Levi, smirking triumphantly to himself when he sat back with wide eyes. There was a hole sewn into the panties, conveniently placed so there was no need to remove them.

"Then I guess we skip right to prepping you?"

"Takes too long, I thought ahead." 

Levi looked closer and found the end of a plug sticking out. "Please don't tell me you've had that in the whole day."

"Of course not, I put it in right before we left the venue."

Levi would never underestimate his ability to plan well. "Then I guess you're ready?"

"I've been ready, are you gonna keep me waiting?"

Levi couldn't deny him any longer. He went in for another kiss and reached down to play with the plug, making Eren shiver before pulling it out. 

It hit him that he still needed lube, so he started to get off of Eren but was stopped when he was grabbed by the shoulders. "Where do you think you're going?"

"To get more lube," Levi said.

Eren shook his head. "I already used some. Please, Levi. I can't wait anymore."

"But I don't want to hurt you."

"You won't," Eren promised, pecking his husband's lips.

Levi started kissing a line down Eren's jaw, tugging down his own boxers. "I know it's our wedding night," he murmured against his skin. "But that doesn't mean that you shouldn't tell me if you get uncomfortable just because you want it to be perfect. We can stop and take a break or prep you some more if you need it, okay?"

Eren wove his fingers through Levi's hair. "Okay." He'd never get over Levi's consistency with concern for his comfort. "I love you so much. You're my whole world."

Levi stopped, kissing the juncture of Eren's neck. "I love you too, angel. You're my everything."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eeeep I'm so sorry for cutting it off at the smoot! I think I was sleep deprived when I wrote this.
> 
> Here's the news! So, there's only one chapter left of this fic, which makes me so sad. But I'm not done with these two. I'm not done with this au, it feels wrong to drop it here. So, I will be doing bonus chapters! Here's the exciting part, I'm leaving it up to you guys to tell me what you want from them! I have some ideas of situations I want to put them in, but I think it would be more fun if you guys had some input.
> 
> So, you can be as specific or as vague as you'd like! It can be a smut prompt, safe for work, angsty, fluffy, anything! I can't promise that I'll do all of them, or even most, I might only write 2-5 bonus chapters, but we'll see! 
> 
> If you have an idea or plan of what you want from these two, leave (anonymous or otherwise, it doesn't matter) an ask on my dr-s--art tumblr account. I won't be checking my other ones. 
> 
> The final chapter is already written and I hope you guys like it!
> 
> If you liked this, please leave a comment or kudos! My tumblrs are dr-s--art, the-witch-daddy, and extraeren. I'm sorry for errors, I don't edit. Thank you for reading! <3


	28. Portrait

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life goes on for Eren and Levi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is really simple, and it jumps all over the place but oh well.
> 
> Thank you so much to everyone who supported this fic, your kudos, comments and fan art were all so wonderful and I appreciate them so much!!!! I hope you enjoy the last chapter! <3

Eren fiddled with his hair, now a deep red hue since he'd last dyed it, anxious with nothing to do before Levi was ready to leave. He hated being late.

He hurried out of the restroom and knocked on Levi's door. "Babe, are you ready yet?"

"Not yet! I have to finish this now, so it has time to dry before tonight!" Levi said, his voice muffled through the door.

"I don't mean to nag, but you should've finished your paintings ahead of time. I don't want to miss the parade." 

"We won't, I promise!" 

Eren waited, leaning next to the doorframe. If either of them were going to run late, he expected it to be himself, since he'd spent two hours on his makeup and another half hour picking out his clothes. He'd only been to a pride parade once, but work stood in his way most years. He usually had to travel to attend one, but there was one being held near the local park and he wasn't missing it for anything. He was wearing rainbows head to toe, he was bursting with excitement and best of all, he had Levi coming with him. But he couldn't have fun if they never got there.

Levi didn't mean to take so long, it was just that every time he thought he was finished with his painting, he thought of more details he could add. He thought he was done two days prior, but upon waking up that morning, he discovered ways to perfect the piece. His paintings were for a gallery of local artists celebrating pride, which would most likely be a success since word had got out that Levi and Petra would be featuring their work. And although Levi put a lot of effort into each piece, there was one painting he couldn't help but put the most work into. Eren had yet to see any of them.

"Okay... and, I'm done."

Eren came in after hearing that. "Can I check them out before we go?"

Levi had his easel turned away from his husband but let him see the other paintings he'd already finished. Laying them out on the bed, he showed him a series of black and white portraits of his loved ones, including Isabel, his mother, Hanji, Petra and a couple others. "They said we can use any theme we wanted as long as it was based on pride. So, support from all my loved ones makes me proud of who I am."

Eren gasped delightedly at the art. "Levi, they're all so beautiful! Which one were you just working on?"

"None of them."

Eren eyed Levi confusedly. "Huh?"

"I saved the best for last." Levi led Eren over to his easel and smirked when he saw his eyes go wide.

Levi had painted a portrait of Eren in his wedding dress with wings in a kaleidoscope of colors. "It took me the longest because of all the colors," he explained. "But I'm happy with the finished product. Are you?"

Eren held a hand to his heart. "Levi... I'm speechless. I've seen your sketches of me, but this is... just... wow."

"I'm glad you like it." Levi kissed his cheek, careful not to ruin his rainbow highlighter.

"Why did you do this one in color but the rest in black and white?"

Levi shrugged. "I was going to do yours in black and white, but I couldn't. You're too vibrant and colorful, inside and out, it would be a crime to portray you any other way."

Eren put an arm around Levi's shoulders, pulling him into a small hug. "You're such a charmer."

Levi chuckled. "I try."

 

~

 

The parade ended and Levi and Eren took it upon themselves to walk through the park, calming down after the wonderful chaos. Eren felt entirely in his element, surrounded by all the color and ongoing celebrations. He couldn't have been happier.

There were few times Levi had seen Eren filled with so much joy, and knowing the struggles Eren had had in the past concerning his identity and his expression made him so much more glad that he was having such a great time. He wanted only the best for him, and he hoped that he had everything he wanted. He hoped that this day was more than Eren wished for, and after seeing the permanent smile on his face assured him that it was. 

"What time is the art show tonight?" Eren said, bringing Levi's focus back down to earth.

"It starts at seven. We've got plenty of time before then." Levi grabbed his hand, leading him through the park, thinking of what people would think after seeing Eren the way he saw him all the time. 

"Hanji and Petra will be there, right?"

"Yeah, the shop is closed today. Hanji's off somewhere at pride, and Petra's helping set up the event." 

"Good, I'll need to talk to Petra."

"About what?"

Eren's smile grew, if that was at all possible. "I want to get a tattoo from her."

Levi wondered why he didn't just ask him, but he didn't blame him. Petra was extremely talented. "Oh? What are you getting?"

"I think it's time I got a tattoo for you," Eren beamed. "Our anniversary is coming up, and I want to dedicate something to you. I want irises, because those were the flowers surrounding us when you proposed."

The way Levi's heart started racing was overwhelming and perhaps a bit concerning. Even though he was married to Eren and he knew how much he loved him, he was delightedly surprised to hear that he wanted art permanently etched onto his body for him and him alone. He wasn't the best with words or expressing elation, so he settled for light humor. "As long as you don't get my name, I support the decision."

Eren laughed, leaning into his husband as they walked. "I promise, no names. Just the flowers."

Now that Levi thought of it, he still hadn't gotten a tattoo dedicated to Eren. It was high time to get something for him, and since their anniversary was coming up, it was the most opportune time. But what would he get? And where? His body was mostly covered. Oh well, he'd figure it out.

 

~

 

On the day of their anniversary, Levi brought Eren to the shop to get his irises from Petra. While she was setting up, Levi had Eren by his side, asking him questions to be sure he was ready for getting the tattoo just as he always did.

"And you've eaten enough?"

Eren rolled his eyes in amusement. "Yes, but I also made sure I'll be hungry enough for dinner. Which reminds me, why did you book our reservations so late? We could just go as soon as my tattoo is finished."

Levi wouldn't be telling him why, it'd ruin the surprise. "Don't change the subject, are you hydrated?"

Eren chuckled. "Yes, I had plenty of water."

"Okay, and tell Petra if you need a break."

"I know. I've gotten tattoos before. The only bad part is near the elbow I think." Eren would be getting his irises wrapping around his forearm from his elbow to his wrist.

"If it helps, just go to your happy place whenever it really hurts." 

Eren thought about it, trying to picture where it was. "Okay, I'll just pretend I'm home with you."

Levi smiled uncontrollably at that.

"Where's your happy place?"

Levi didn't even miss a beat. "My happy place? Whenever my head is between your legs."

Eren slapped Levi's arm halfheartedly, trying to look stern, but he was failing at hiding his laughter. "Levi!" He hissed quietly. "Petra is right there, you can't say that!"

"I'll pretend I didn't hear anything, it's cool," Petra said, making Eren blush with embarrassment.

Levi hugged Eren around the waist, trying to give him a kiss on the cheek to apologize. "She doesn't care, we're both adults."

"I know, but still."

Petra finished setting up and brought Eren over to get started. Levi sat beside him, holding his hand. It was his first tattoo that wasn't being done by Levi, and while Levi trusted Petra with his care, he always worried for his lover's safety. 

But Eren sat well, he always did. He had a decent pain tolerance and even when the needle reached the more uncomfortable spots, he could handle himself just fine. 

The session went on for two hours that went by rather quickly for everyone and soon Petra was wrapping up Eren's arm. 

"Free of cost," Petra said, cleaning her station.

"Thank you so much!" Eren breathed, staring at his new art. "I love it, it's perfect!"

Once washed while sanitizing everything, Petra patted the table. "Alright, time for round two."

Eren looked at her quizzically. "What?"

Levi laid down on the table, removing his shirt, as the sleeves were too long to be out of the way. "Oh, I didn't tell you?"

"You're getting one too?"

"Yeah, you didn't think I'd let you have all the fun, did you?" Levi teased as Petra prepared the blank span of skin on his inner bicep.

"What are you getting?"

"You'll have to wait and see."

Petra pulled out the stencil that she had made beforehand upon Levi's request. She placed it carefully on Levi's only free space on his arm and stepped back to let Levi get up and check the placing. Eren followed to see what he had in the mirror and immediately brought his hands to cover his mouth in shock. "Levi, no!" He may have sounded panicked, but he was simpering like a fool with his heart racing. 

"What?" Levi asked sarcastically, grinning smugly at his husband. 

"You're messing with me aren't you? Are you seriously getting that?" Eren stared at the outline of his own face that was set on Levi's inner arm.

"I wanted to get a tattoo for you too. And you're just so gorgeous, it only made sense to get you on me permanently."

Levi had chosen his favorite photo of Eren on their wedding day, the same one he'd chosen to use as inspiration for his painting. 

"You are not getting a tattoo of my face," Eren said, still staring in disbelief, muffling his voice with his hands. 

"It's happening, angel." Levi laid back down, giving Petra the 'ok' to go ahead. 

Petra poured out the ink she'd be needing and it was one surprise after another for Eren when she chose nothing but colorful ink. 

"Are you not getting it in black and grey?" Eren asked.

"Like I said, it's a crime to portray you without color. It's just not you without using the whole rainbow. This'll be my only color tattoo."

Petra giggled seeing how emotional Eren was starting to get. "How much farther do we have to push it until he cries?" She asked.

Levi actually considered the question. "Hm... write 'angel' in script beneath it."

"Levi!" 

During the session, Levi couldn't stop staring at Eren with the stupidest grin on his face which made Eren wonder how he could take the pain so well, but he was just too happy to see his husband emotional over the tattoo. 

"I'm surprised that you even have room left for more ink," Petra commented.

"There wasn't too much space left," Levi admitted. "I only got this spot left, plus the bottoms of my feet, my palms, obviously my face and head, my ass and some of my dick." He said, drawing laughter from the two. "My ideal place would've been for it to be on my chest so it could be right over my heart, but that was covered, so this is the closest I could get."

"You're always arguing with me about how you're such an emotionless, tough guy, but then you go and say stuff like that," Eren laughed.

"Hey, I am tough... I just got a soft spot for you," Levi mumbled.

"So, you're like candy?" Petra joked, shading in Eren's hair. "Tough on the outside, soft in the center?"

"We're not friends anymore," Levi grumbled.

 

~

 

Levi played with Eren's hair while he slept on his lap later that night after they'd gotten home from dinner. They watched a couple films together and Eren had passed out halfway through the last one. Levi was too busy admiring him to turn off the television and he didn't want to wake him by getting up. Now that he thought of it, it'd been a considerable amount of time since he'd had to wake or comfort Eren from one of his nightmares. They became less and less frequent and at this point it'd nearly been a year since he suffered from a bad dream.

Eren looked so calm, so tranquil resting. Nothing made Levi happier than to know he wasn't haunted anymore. Or at least not to the point that it stayed with him constantly. 

Eren stirred, blinking slowly to focus his vision. "Did I fall asleep?" He mumbled, wiping at his eyes.

"Yeah, kinda," Levi chuckled.

"M' sorry," Eren yawned.

"That's okay, baby. Go back to sleep if you're tired."

"No, it's fine." Eren sat up, leaning into Levi's side and getting comfortable. "I don't wanna fall asleep on the couch." He looked at the television screen and saw the end credits rolling. "Sorry I missed the last of it."

"Don't worry about it, wanna go to bed now? It's been a long day."

"Yeah... wish I didn't have work tomorrow so I could stay up with you longer."

"Me too." Without any warning, Levi grabbed Eren securely and carried him up to their room, surprising him in the process. Eren clung to him, giggling all the way up to the stairs. 

"I don't think I'll ever get tired of this," Eren said, resting his head on Levi's shoulder.

"Good, then I'll never stop doing it." Levi laid down on the bed with him, starting to feel a wave of exhaustion overcome him. "I love you so much."

"Sap."

"You're a sap too."

"... Yeah. And I love you too. Happy anniversary, baby."

"Happy anniversary, sweetheart. Now go to bed, you need the sleep." Levi kissed the tip of Eren's nose.

"You have to get up earlier than I do, how about you go to bed?" Eren replied, giving Levi a proper kiss.

"How about you don't tell me how to live my life?"

"I'll go to sleep if you do."

"That's fair." 

They didn't even change out of the clothes they wore that day. But given how happy they were to be with each other, those things didn't matter. All that mattered to them was the other person. And that's all they needed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget to comment prompts/ ideas you want to see for the bonus chapters! You can also leave them in my dr-s--art ask box! 
> 
> Again, a huge thank you to everyone who showed support, you guys are the best! Be sure to check out my other fics!
> 
> If you liked this please leave a comment or kudos! I'm sorry for any errors, I don't edit. My tumblrs are dr-s--art, the-witch-daddy and extraeren. Thank you for reading! <3


End file.
